Chase the Day, Face the Night
by Fist-it-Out
Summary: Just as suddenly as they had come, all the rustling and running ceased. Zed froze, his ears picking up what sounded like heavy feet stomping on a rock. He turned toward the noise, his eyes landing on a white haired figure, perched on a rock. She locked eyes with him and Zed swore his heart was beating. And then she howled.
1. Prologue

Seabrook. It was a perfectly planned community, where belonging is everything. They were a strong, united, and tight-knit community. And that's a good thing, since it wasn't always that way. There was a time when they had to protect ourselves.

Legend had it that when the first settlers came to Seabrook, they found wild beasts with sharp claws lurking in the forest. It sparked an epic battle. Seabrook settlers bravely fought off the monstrous attack and discovered a powerful energy source. Realizing they discovered a precious resource, they safeguarded it from the beasts. They weren't going to let anyone steal their treasure, so they hid it.

The town prospered and grew rich by harnessing the precious energy source. Seabrook benefited greatly as it grew strong, happy, and unified. The beasts were a distant memory. Seabrook forgot monsters could be real.

Until clearly, they were.

Who would have thought that an accident involving lime soda would set off the apocalypse? And when the contaminated green haze blew west, people were not happy. It turned them into zombies. Brain-eating zombies.

They were dark and gory times. They built a big barrier to protect them from the zombie hordes. Safe at last, Seabrook could finally get back to their perfect lives.

* * *

A lot had changed since they built the barrier 50 years ago. Science found a much better way to deal with zombies. Sure, zombies had to wear government-issued coveralls, they had a curfew, and, for a long time, they were forced to stay in Zombietown. But, thanks to a thick metal bracelet called a Z-Band that delivered a dose of soothing electromagnetic pulses, zombies were able to live without craving brains.

For the first time in Seabrook history, the City Council allowed zombies into regular high school. They may have been restricted only to the basement, but a zombie named Zed changed that with a little football magic. Although zombies weren't supposed to leave the basement, Zed had managed to join the football team with some begging and pleading and an intense try-out (with a little help from a Z-Band glitch).

The first game hadn't gone as planned. His Z-Band worked perfectly, and he was trampled. He'd only been allowed on the team with hopes of finally getting a victory. But they were down nearly forty and everyone—humans and zombies alike—blamed him. If he screwed it up, it'd be back to square one for the zombies.

Halftime had come and Zed snuck away from the locker room to find his best friend, the only person who could help him in the situation. "Eliza, I need you to disable my Z-Band."

Eliza had scoffed. "Yeah, no, I'm sorry. I'm not letting you talk me into doing this."

"I just need a little zomboost, okay? Like what happened at try-outs!"

"Because that wasn't almost a total disaster?" Eliza had asked. "Yeah, no, I'm not doing it."

"Look, you...You already jailbroke your Z-Band to play video games."

"This is different, okay? This is ludicrously dangerous!"

"If I win this game, that's good for us. And that's good for zombies, and isn't that what we need?"

Eliza had rolled her eyes, but she caved. He used his zombie strength and won just about every game. It pissed off a lot of the humans, sure. And some (Bucky Buchanan, cheer captain) had tried to expose him for 'cheating' and failed, getting his cheer minions detention. Zed got his comeuppance though, a little thing called Z-Band poisoning.

Things had worked out in the end. A lot more had changed for zombies in seven months. Everyday was better than the last. Seabrook was getting rid of all of its old anti-monster laws, so now Zombietown was open to everyone.

And business was booming.


	2. Demolition

The end of the school year. Everything was coming to an end, while still just beginning. There were parks and renovations all over Zombietown. In a couple days, they would be tearing down old Seabrook Power to build a new cheer pavilion. And the foreman of the demolition was a zombie—Zevon Necrodopolis, Zed's father.

It was the weekend. Zed was hanging out with his little sister and her friends at the beach, making the best of the boring times. One of his best friends, Bonzo, was away at cheer camp. It was the first time zombies were even allowed on the cheer team, so it was pretty epic. But since Bonzo was away and Eliza was…somewhere, it was just Zed and his little sister, Zoey.

Zed didn't mind playing with the little kids. It was a nice way to pass the time. Their favorite game was 'Zombie Hunt,' where Zed was a zombie and he chased all the kids around. Like tag. He let the kids bury him in the sand and he'd 'rise from the dead' just for them, playing the game four or five times until he got a text from Eliza asking him to meet her at Seabrook Power.

Zed managed to round up his sister from her friends. Before he could tell her they had to leave, though, Zoey excitedly chirped, "Zed! Emily Frank invited me over for a play date!" What a happy coincidence.

Zed laughed and lifted her up. "You should probably change then," he said.

"No way! We're going in her _pool_! Isn't that so cool!"

"Very," he chuckled. "Where's her mom then?"

"Over under that umbrella!"

* * *

Zed walked through Seabrook Power, making sure to stop by and see his dad and update him on his afternoon plans—whatever Eliza needed him to do, pick up Zoey from her friend's house, then he'd go out to help Bonzo with something. Cheer camp would be back that afternoon and Bonzo had a special surprise (that Zed and Eliza planned) to ask a cheerleader he liked to Prawn—Seabrook High's supersized prom that, for the first time ever, would be open for everyone.

It only took a few minutes of wandering the old power plant to find Eliza, up on the second level, protesting. She'd been showing up for weeks with crowds of zombies, trying to get the demolition canceled. As the days drew closer, though, less and less people showed up. Zed felt indifferent towards the whole ordeal. Sure, it was the birthplace of all zombies, but if it meant being accepted into society, Zed was all for it.

"Hey, hey! Ho, ho! This demolition has got to go!"

Zed rolled his eyes, stopping next to his exceptionally annoying best friend. She moved her speaker from her mouth, whipping her head up to him. "They can't tear it down, Zed!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowed together. She looked more desperate than she ever had. Like she was losing hope, but she wouldn't give up the fight. She never did, though.

Zed shrugged despite sympathizing with her. Sure, he was sad about Seabrook Power, but it meant good things for zombies. And that's what they needed. "Seabrook Power hasn't worked for years," he reminded her.

"It's an important part of zombie heritage."

"This is progress, Eliza."

She rolled her eyes. "That sounds great, but what's the price we have to pay? We're destroying our history! Show some emotion!"

"I am!" he argued. "Like, I'm stoked for Prawn! Aren't you?"

Eliza glared at him and he took a step back, slightly afraid. She brought her megaphone to her mouth and shouted down at the demolition crew, "I'm loud and proud to be a zombie!"

"Sometimes too loud." Zed muttered. Eliza shot him another glare and he flinched, afraid of her wrath. When she didn't attack him, he relaxed his shoulders and went on. "Ease up, E! People _want _zombies around! Soon, Z-band tech will get so good that zombies will blend right in."

"I dream of a day we ditch our Z-bands and let our inner monsters roar." She turned back to the demo and roared in her megaphone. Zed's eyes widened and he grabbed her arm, dragging her away before either of them could get in trouble.

"Eliza, we're so close to finally being a part of Seabrook! People aren't scared of us! We could actually blend in someday." he rushed. "We're making zombiekind cool not feared."

"That's great and all, but we shouldn't have to hide who we are to be accepted! You know this Zed! We can't give up!"

Zed sighed. There was no getting through to her sometimes. Progress—no matter what kind—was good.

"All I know is that my dad _finally_ had a job where he's in charge. We had bread yesterday, that _wasn't_ expired. If that's not progress I don't know what is."

"But—"

Both their Z-Bands buzzed, lighting up white with a reminder. The same Z-Bands that, a year ago, were only there to keep them from zombying out. They now had internet and could remind them of appointments and even receive texts.

Eliza looked at him and said, "I gotta go finish."

Zed stuck his tongue out at her. "Me and Zoey did my part last night."

"Zoey and _I._"

"Whatever. Just—two o'clock?"

"You're not gonna help me?"

"I'm going to try on suits for Prawn, 'cause unlike you, I'm _actually _excited."

"You don't even have a date!"

"Neither do you, and therefore you're my date."

Eliza groaned and rolled her eyes. "Ugh whatever. Just meet me at my dad's shop so we can get everything together."

Zed nodded. "Alright."

He held out his hand for her and she rolled her eyes. "Ready for a new day?" he asked.

She shook her head but smiled, finishing their handshake. "Ready for a change." She grinned. "See you later."

"Bye!"

* * *

Zed spent an hour at the 'Dezzie's Dapper Dudes,' the only zombie formalwear store available. And even better, they were having a big blow out sale for Prawn. Unfortunately, none of the gently used jackets were really his taste. Prawn was the coming weekend, he'd have to find something soon.

In the meantime, he walked quickly to Seabrook and got Zoey from her friend's house, taking her back home so she could finally shower and change. He changed himself, making a quick lunch for him and his sister, then ran with her to '_Flight of the Living Dead: Travel Agency_' where Eliza's dad worked.

Zoria at the front desk smiled at them and waved. "Hey Zed! Hey Zoey!"

"Hi Ms. Morana!" Zoey chirped.

"Is Eliza here?" Zed asked.

"She's in the back, building some new contraption or whatnot." Zoria waved towards the employee store room. "You two hungry? I've got some candy if you want."

Zoey jumped up and down. "Yes please!"

Zed laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the back room. "No, we just ate lunch, but thank you."

"Aw but Zed—"

"Come on Zoey."

Zoey whined but followed him through the front room. They went through the door and Zoey let go of his hand, running through the little office. Eliza was on the floor in the back, grease and motor oil on her face while she tightened the screws on the little box. Her face was screwed in annoyance; Zed grabbed his sister around her middle before she could run to Eliza, right before Eliza groaned and threw her screw across the room.

"Stupid stupid _stupid_!"

Zed laughed and set Zoey down, walking towards her. She looked up at them and huffed. "Zed, grab the wrench and do this so I can be done with this bullsh—"

"Okay!" Zed interrupted. He eyed his sister warily. "No cursing!"

Zoey rocked on her heels, her head tilted. "What were you going to say?"

Zed rolled his eyes, dropping onto the floor. "Don't worry," he told her.

He grabbed the discarded wrench and took the gadget from Eliza. He didn't miss when Eliza whispered to Zoey, who in turn asked, "What does that mean?"

Zed shot them both a look. "Zoey, come help me with this," he said. "And ignore Eliza, she's insane."

"Okay!"

* * *

"Hurry up!" Eliza shouted. "They're gonna be rolling through any minute!"

"Or they could've already passed," Zoey pointed out.

Zed rolled his eyes, twisting the lightbulbs into place. "Don't distract me, we aren't too late," he told them. "Bucky updated his Snapchat story when they left."

"Why do you follow Bucky?" Eliza asked.

"Oh my Z, shut up," Zed groaned. "And hold the ladder tight! I don't wanna fall."

Eliza grumbled under her breath.

They were in the middle of the only road that went out there. Bonzo had asked for their help in asking his sort-of-kind-of girlfriend, Bree, who was with him at cheer camp. Bonzo had wanted to do something simple and small for Bree. Then Zed and Eliza got involved.

"Zed! Hurry up! I can hear the bus!" Zoey exclaimed, probably bouncing.

Like clockwork, Zed heard the sparks of one of the traps go off. He set to work, twisting the lightbulbs faster. The bus had to be getting closer, and if it was, then they'd seen the beginnings of the best Prawnposal in all of Seabrook High's history.

"_Zed_!"

His head whipped around in time to see the cheer bus speeding towards him, piloted by their distracted mascot, Shrimpy. Time seemed to slow, but the bus hit the ladder at full force, the only sound louder than the crash being Zed's scream as he went flying onto the roof of the bus.

He managed to grab a hold of the little nub on top, swinging around as the bus swerved on the road. "_Don't die don't die don't die don't die_!" He screamed, his fingers burning as he held on with everything he had.

The bus swung and bounced, flying off the road and into the forest. The screams of the cheerleaders ripping through the open windows, breaking the tranquility of the woods. Zed lost his grip and slipped over the edge. He screamed harder, fingers stretching at the edges of the rooftop.

Then he's rolling in the dirt and through the bushes. He grunted and groaned, cuts and scratches covering his skin until he finally came to a stop. He rolled onto his back, throwing an arm over his face. Off in the distance, the bus crashed—actually smashing into something and stopping. He was going to be in _so much trouble _for this. Another step backwards for zombiekind. Zed was always messing things up, for zombies, for his classmates, for his family.

Zed bolted upright. "_Zoey!_"

She could be anywhere in these woods by now. He never should've brought her with him for that stupid plan that didn't even work!

"Zoey! Where are you!" he shouted, frantically jumping over roots and branches and bursting through bushes and trees.

He tripped over a root and went crashing to the ground, rolling down another hill. His arms blocking his face, grunting and screaming. He hit the bottom of the hill and sprung through the air. He spun, screaming, cursing the stupid zombie ability that strangely made them bounce or whatever the hell it was.

He hit the ground and groaned. He definitely broke something. And he wanted to throw up. Oh god.

He forced himself to his feet, clutching his bruised or broken ribs. Where was he? This part of the forest was just, it was just trees and birds. He was lost.

Something rushed through the trees behind him, like an animal. Except it was too fast to be any normal forest creature. He spun around, seeing a flash of darkness dart through the trees. Definitely not an animal. Something else burst through the trees on his other side. Whatever it was was surrounding him.

"Who's there?" he asked.

There was more rustling, coming from all directions. Zed whipped around, hoping that Zoey was far away and out of danger.

Just as suddenly as they had come, all the rustling and running ceased. Zed froze, his ears picking up what sounded like heavy feet stomping on a rock. He turned toward the noise, his eyes landing on a white haired figure, perched on a rock.

The sun hit her, shining through her long, thick, white hair, rustling through the wind. Her skin was pale but shimmered in the light, perfectly contrasted against the dark shirt and fur over her shoulders. She locked eyes with him and Zed swore his heart was beating.

And then she howled.

He swore her eyes glowed yellow. Her howl rattled the whole forest. And then she was gone.


	3. Out of the Shadows, Into the School

"_We're surrounded by…werewolves!_"

"_I always, _always _knew the stories of monsters in the forest were real. And no one believed me!_"

"_I always thought werewolves were just myths…" _

"_There are blood thirsty werewolves circling us right now waiting to attack!" _

"_Somebody has to do something._"

Zed groaned, leaning onto his dad's side. Zombie Patrol had shown once the cheerleaders started posting about the werewolves, escorting them all back to Seabrook. They'd given him some ice and told him he was fine, though he'd complained about hurting all over. Typical Zombie Patrol.

Now though, they all had gathered in City Hall to share what had happened with Mayor Wells and the City Council. All the noise was making his head buzz harder than it already was.

"Please can I have one?" Zoey pleaded. "I'm the only zombie in my class. A werewolf friend would be great. I'll feed him and walk him."

"Yeah, werewolves ain't class pets, Zoey. And they certainly ain't friendly." Zevon said.

Eliza sat down next to him, providing him with a second ice pack. Zed muttered his thanks and slipped it under his arm, pressing it against his ribs. And moaning in appreciation because of the slight relief it brought him.

"Thanks Eliza," he groaned.

"You feeling better?"

"Lots, I just wish it weren't so—" Mayor Wells banged her gavel on her podium and Zed jumped and winced. "Loud," he finished, bringing a hand to his head.

Zevon chuckled and patted Zed's shoulder. "You'll be okay, Son," he said. "We'll go home right after."

Zed just rolled his eyes in response, turning his attention to Mayor Wells. Like every member of the council, and a good portion of the humans in Seabrook, she was dressed head to toe in pink. Her husband, the chief of Zombie Patrol, took his seat at the end of the table. And, of course, to round it all off, the cheer captain and resident asshole of Seabrook High was their nephew. Bucky Buchanan, the guy who hated all things zombies and different, was related to the two most powerful people in Seabrook.

The same Bucky who accused Zed of lying about seeing a werewolf in the woods. At least until they all heard another howl and Bucky practically threw himself into Zed's arms for protection.

Bucky Buchanan, the whining little twerp on the other side of the room, huddled behind his cheerleader bodyguards dubbed the Aceys, even though only one's name actually contained Acey.

"By order of City Council," Mayor Wells announced, "effective immediately, all anti-monster laws are reinstated."

The room burst into noise: anti-zombie humans cheering and applauding (especially Bucky), while the zombies around the room groaned. Zed closed his eyes, focusing on the cold on his forehead.

This was all his fault. If he'd just kept quiet, none of this would've happened. He was the only one to have even seen the werewolf, if that's even what it was. It was just like Bucky had said: he'd hit his head and was under a lot of stress, he probably just imagined the whole thing.

Plus, werewolves didn't have all white hair. All the books showed them with dark hair with white streaks, razor sharp claws and fangs. Not goddess like white haired angels that shined under the sparkling sun.

Girls like that weren't real. They were fantasies that dumb fifteen years olds imagined after flying through the forest and bruising every part of their body.

He was just being dumb. And now all zombies were being pushed back a million steps because of him.

He could really go for some frozen yogurt.

* * *

"_Attention all citizens. Monster laws have been reinstated. All curfews will be strictly enforced_."

People ran through Zombietown, screaming and rushing about in a panic. Shops were closing down, froyo carts running off and away because, although zombies liked froyo, "werewolves like human flesh. Maybe with sprinkles. Everybody likes sprinkles."

Even the demolition crew had been evacuated for the day, humans running back to their side of the barrier while zombies ran home, afraid of the 'Forest Beasts.'

"_Attention all citizens. Werewolves have been sighted in the area. Take cover immediately._ _Keep children and pets inside._"

Deep in Zombietown, a little girl with green pigtails hammered away at a bus stop. From a house a little ways down the road, a man shouted, "Zoey, come on home. It's not safe out here with these werewolves on the loose."

Zoey paused, calling back, "Just one sec."

A demolition worker came to a stop beside her, squinting confused at the sign she was hanging. The little zombie looked up at him and asked, "Have you seen a werewolf? I'm looking for a were-friend."

The worker scoffed. "Silly kid, there's no such thing as werewolves."

"But we heard it howl."

"Maybe it was a hiker saying, 'howl's it going?'"

Zoey glared. "It was a werewolf," she insisted. She fought the urge to cross her arms, scanning over his features. "My, what big eyes you have," she noted petulantly.

Behind her, the old man called, "Zoey!" She turned to look at him and he ushered her over. "Come on!"

She turned, giving the suspicious worker a final once over before running home, leaving the worker standing beside the coloring.

The worker watched her disappear into a house, then his eyed landed on her silly little flyer. "Werewolf friend wanted" was scrawled around a picture of a standing wolf. The worker scoffed, ripping it off the post. No one else needed to see that.

He jogged away from the bus stop, hurriedly making his way back out of Zombietown.

He followed the old, beaten path back to the forbidden forest, ducking through a broken fence and speeding up once the trees covered him. He pulled down the zipper to his suit as he turned the corner to meet back up with the other wolves, and when his sister saw him, she called for the rest of the pack.

"Wolves!"

They emerged from the shadows, all coming to attention, some perching on rocks, others crouched low to the ground. Willa stood bravely at the front, ready to greet her brother.

Wyatt ripped the workers outfit off before standing in front of one member of the pack and receiving his moonstone necklace, followed by his beta markings from a different wolf.

Willa watched him carefully as he received his markings and as soon as the markings were in place he turned to face his sister, baring his fangs with a low growl and eyes that flashed yellow.

"What did you find out?" Willa asked.

He wasted no time as he directed his attention to his sister, "They saw you _howling_."

Willa scoffed, crossing her arms. "So? I only said 'awoo!' It's like saying 'ciao,' or 'aloha.' Or 'I'll rip your throat out.'"

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Not you," he stated. He gave her shoulder a light shove, his eyes landing on the slightly smaller, white haired wolf beside Willa. "_Addison_."

The wolf in question hardened, glowering at him. "We howl all the time, Wyatt," she reminded him.

"We're _exposed_," Wyatt hissed, shoving a paper into her clawed hands.

Addison took the picture with a chuckle before Willa grabbed it from her and looked at it herself. Addison shot the alpha of the pack a glare, taking the drawing back.

"It looks nothing like us," Addison said, confident. "Besides, we have way better hair than that." She flips the paper around as she says it, pointing to the poorly-drawn wolf in the center of the paper.

"Stop being such a worry-wolf—"

"Maybe he has a right to be worried," Willa interrupted, crossing her arms as she moved to stand next to her brother. Addison's cocky grin dropped then. "We don't have the power to go against the humans."

Addison looked in disbelief between the two of them, fire building behind her irises. "I can't believe this," she muttered before raising her voice and looking directly at Willa, and then Wyatt. "I do something you've done millions of times and suddenly it's my fault that we've been exposed? When we weren't?"

"But we are," Wyatt growled, taking a step forward. "Don't you understand what you've done?"

Willa followed after her brother. "We don't have time to be running from hunters, Addison. Need I remind you, more and more of our pack is getting sick. Our necklaces are almost out of power. It's _your_ job to lead us to the moonstone."

Addison's anger fizzled away, her eyes falling to the ground. Right, of course, she was the legendary 'Great Alpha.' She was supposed to lead her pack to the hidden moonstone, saving their race. Which she had yet to do or even come close to. Which Willa _loved _reminding her about.

Another werewolf turned, standing in the midst of the standoff. "And when you do, we can recharge our necklaces and stay wolf strong for another 100 years," she said, sounding just like the Elders who first translated the prophecy.

Willa gave the wolf a gentle smile. "That's right, Wynter."

Addison looked from Wynter back to Willa, who fixed her with a steely gaze. She was going to taunt Addison, question if she was truly the Great Alpha or just another werewolf with a full head of white hair who'd never amount to anything.

It wasn't her fault. There was no way for Addison to know where the moonstone was or even how to find it. They'd all been cooped up in the den their whole lives, occasionally going out to hunt or check on strange noises, like the bus crash from Seabrook High. But Willa refused to let Addison take some pack members and go explore and search for the moonstone, because humans were dangerous.

Sooner rather than later, Willa would have to let them out.

Addison ignored Willa's gaze and turned her attention to Wyatt. "You said we were exposed?" He nodded. "How so? What happened?"

"They're increasing their Monster Patrol, reinstating some Anti-monster laws." Wyatt shook his head. "The zombies weren't too happy about getting their curfew back."

"I don't see how this is relevant," Willa interrupted.

Addison shot her a glare, crossing her arms. "Isn't it _my _job to find the moonstone?"

Willa growled under her breath but stood down. She wasn't one to cave unless she was desperate. Just that morning, four more pack members had fallen ill to the moonstone sickness. It was only a matter of time before they were all too sick to do anything.

"There was a zombie in the forest this morning," Addison said. "And that bus crash came from Seabrook High. That means zombies are at the school."

The wolves stared at her blankly, not following her train of thought. "Look, we're already exposed. We can go to that school and—"

Willa startled and immediately said, "No, absolutely not."

"We need to find the moonstone," Addison protested. "Last I checked, _I'm _the Great Alpha. It's my job to find it, and I say we need to start our search there."

The pack stood in a standstill. This wasn't the first time Willa and Addison argued, especially about leading. Every idea Addison gave was shut down by the alpha, but she constantly reminded Willa of the prophecy. There were barely a dozen of them left standing now. They needed to find the moonstone.

"Fine," Willa conceded. "We go to the school and then what?"

"High schools are known to have a variety of research tools," Addison said. "We'll have to ask around to get a good lead."

Willa rolled her eyes but Addison ignored her, lifting her head to address the pack. "We go in the morning."

"We go tonight!" Willa countered.

Addison glared but caught Wyatt's movement beside Willa. "Tonight works," he said, eyeing Addison. She relaxed and nodded, conceding.


	4. Zed for Prez

Zed and Eliza walked along the cheer railings of the second story, opposite the school's Prawn Wall of Fame. They had just been let out of last period for an all school assembly in the main courtyard, for presidential nominations and updates with all the anti-monster laws back in effect.

Eliza had been talking about only one thing all day: the werewolves. They'd been forced inside at nine because of their stupid curfew, searched on their way out of Zombietown, and even were back to their bottom of the barrel lunches.

"They see one werewolf and suddenly we can't go to Prawn," Eliza grumbled for possibly the hundredth time. "This is so unfair! Can't believe I ever thought Seabrook had changed."

"It did! It will!" Zed assured her. "I will get zombies into Prawn."

"Well…" Eliza said, her voice drawing out the way it did when she had a mischievous plan. Zed stopped, leaning on the railing. It wasn't too great to be walking while scheming, in case she suggested something illegal and someone overheard. She gave him a classic grin and he knew she would definitely suggest something that could get them thrown into Zombie Containment.

"Well?"

"We can crash it," she said, radiating excitement. "I mean, we can't make the rules, but we can break 'em."

There it was. Zed chuckled, shaking his head. Before he could open his mouth, Bucky Buchanan shouted from the other side of the hall, "Stacey, Lacey! Time to officially nominate me as president!"

Zed and Eliza glanced at the two Aceys who walked past them and shook their heads. With Bucky as president, making the rules and decisions at school, things would basically go back to when they weren't even allowed to cross the barrier.

Then, of course, it hit Zed. He whipped his attention to Eliza, eyes wide in excitement. "We _can_ make the rules! We just need the right leader."

"What?"

Zed grabbed her arm and ran for the stairs, ignoring her protests. He needed to swing by the front office if what he was thinking would even be possible, and the assembly would be starting soon.

* * *

Addison watched through the cracks in the vent cover as Seabrook students ran through the halls. A few minutes before, an announcement from 'Principal Lee' rang through, saying the "presidential assembly was about to begin in the courtyard." Whatever that was wasn't important. What mattered was that the school would be empty. Wyatt hovered over her shoulder, much too close for comfort.

They had all been hiding in the air vent all night, sleeping in a dogpile, having late night chats. It wasn't anything atypical for the pack, except Addison wasn't usually welcomed for cuddles and chats. Even Willa got to cuddle. But just because Addison was the Great Alpha, she had to be in her own chamber, away from everyone else, trying to find the stupid moonstone.

The cuddles hadn't been bad. It was the best sleep Addison had ever had. She was actually a part of the pack, instead of being a strange wolf who had too much white hair and a problem with authority.

The wolf cuddles were good for bringing the pack closer together, which most likely explained why everyone was finally following her lead. And Wyatt was actually helping her. He was a good beta, always open to suggestions and plans and making sure things went smoothly. He should've been the alpha. If only he had been born a little before his sister.

"What are we looking for?" Wyatt whispered.

Addison didn't look away from the mostly cleared hallways. She didn't answer him either, waiting for a minute before forcing the vent open. "Come on," she said to the pack. "The hallways are clear."

Addison climbed out of the vent first, holding it open so the rest of her pack could rush out. Willa was the last one, giving Addison the stink eye, then turning it on the bright, sunshine filled hallway, lined with pastels and accomplishments.

"Ugh, this place is worse in the daylight," Willa complained.

Addison rolled her eyes. She let the vent swing closed and walked around the back of the pack, thinking through their next moves. There didn't seem to be any people to ask directions, not that the wolves would even want to ask. Wolves and humans didn't get along.

They would need a game plan, and if she didn't think of something quick, Willa would commandeer the mission. Addison paused, the sun glinting off the wall before her. They were lined with shining, silver trophies, mostly first place, pompoms and footballs on display. There was even a large picture in the middle of the case, beside a slightly smaller silver trophy.

Addison's eyes skimmed over the inscription—_Zed Necrodopolis, '2—, freshman fullback, leads Mighty Shrimp to Regional Championship_. She flickered over his picture, dimly noting the green hair and pale skin. A zombie on the football team. How long had zombies—and monsters in general—been allowed in the school? The picture was from only a few months ago, but if he had been allowed to play football…well then the wolves wouldn't have as much of a problem blending in as they thought.

She squinted some more. That was the guy she'd seen in the woods. The tall zombie from the bus crash that nearly discovered the pack and the den. He looked a lot gentler in the picture, kinda nice. Friendly, even.

"Addison," Willa snapped. Addison whipped around, picking out the alpha in the front. She marched to the front of the group, raising an eyebrow.

"Focus," Willa scolded. "Remember, we're fierce, we're savage."

Addison nodded, shaking out her limbs. They had a task to accomplish, she could question the town's changes some other time.

Next to Willa, Wynter added excitedly, "We're werewolves!"

Willa smiled, glancing from Wynter to Addison. "That's right, Wynter."

"We're scared of nothing," Wynter continued.

The pack nodded their agreement. Then Wyatt, ever the buzzkill, interjected, "Except silver."

Wynter deflated. "Yeah, silver."

Wyatt went on. "And ticks."

"And rabies," Wynter grumbled.

Addison shook her head, moving in front of Willa. She got a glare in response but ignored it. "Come on," Addison said.

Willa stepped forward and took over. "If we're quiet, we can be in and out of here before they even know we're here. We'll search the school for any signs of the moonstone."

She shoved past Addison, ignoring Addison's glare. Wyatt walked forward too, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. "Leave her," he muttered, walking with her down the hallway "She's just anxious to find the moonstone."

Addison nodded. She shrugged out from under his grip, walking between him and Willa. They may have been cuddling all night, but he couldn't just turn around and be her friend. Not after constantly taking his sister's side in every argument, even if Addison was right. None of them ever liked having her around, and just because they were coming close to finding the stone, didn't mean all those years of exclusion would disappear.

* * *

The band was playing a special rendition of the Mighty Shrimp fight song, the whole school cheering when Bucky's giant banner fell down and the confetti cannons burst all around the room. Zed stood beside the band and made eye contact with Eliza, both of them rolling their eyes. It was so extraordinarily extra, so Bucky.

He even did his stupid, show off backflips, running up to the podium, relishing in all the attention and school love. There was no way Zed could top that.

"Great news," Bucky exclaimed, "we have a brilliant and cheer tested candidate running for president this year." He paused, doing his signature jazz hands and cocky smile, adding, "Me!"

The school cheered louder and Zed flinched. He wasn't usually one to be against all the peppiness and school pride and fun, but he needed a little less noise if he was going to figure out how to top Bucky. He would be the first zombie to run for president in all of Seabrook history, he _had_ to make an entrance.

Behind him, Bonzo blasted away on his zombified instrument—a fusion of several different trombones and trumpets and even a French horn. It provided the best sounds for the Fight Song and he was determined to earn his spot in the band with every performance. Nothing would distract him.

Except, well, his sorta-kinda girlfriend, Bree, down on the floor, cheering for Bucky. One wave and smile and she sent his heart into action. He looked away quickly, throwing himself back into the song. It'd be over soon enough, he just needed to keep killing it.

He played harder, the longest neck of his instrument tilted down and away from Bree, connecting right with Zed's back.

Zed went flying, the students in the bleachers making a gap so he could fall everywhere that wasn't on them. His screams weren't heard over Bucky's cheering fan base or the band, and he rolled and bounced, flying through the air and finally landed on Principal Lee's platform.

Zed's body screamed bloody murder for the fall but he ignored it, instead bouncing up and shouting over the crowd, "Woo! Zombie strong!" effectively shoving Bucky out of the way.

Zed leaned forward and spoke clearly and loudly. "Hello, everyone. My name is Zed, and I am running for president."

Bucky scoffed, giving Principal Lee a slight shove. "Zed can't steal my spotlight!" he complained. Then he turned his attention directly to Principal Lee. "What about the whole anti-monster thingy?"

The crowd quieted down at that and Zed deflated. He hadn't thought about all the anti-monster laws. They couldn't even be out past curfew. Soon, they'd be sending them back to zombie only school! They'd have to wear coveralls and give up the sick jeans and tee shirts they sold at the Seabrook Thrift Shop. He had to fix all of this, but how?

Like a saving grace, Eliza stepped forward and shouted, "Anyone can run for president, Bucky."

"She actually has a point, Mr. Bucky," Principal Lee said. Then, like all good principals, she left before Bucky could add any comments. Unfortunately for her, Bucky followed her, complaining the whole way.

* * *

Every hallway was empty, there weren't many signs on the walls and all the lockers were in perfect condition. "This place is disgusting," Willa complained. She whipped her head around to Addison and asked, "Do you even know where you're taking us?"

"Of course I do," Addison lied. She peered around a corner. The hallway smelt heavily of humans and zombies, more so than any other part of the school. They had to be getting close to the school's main research facility; there was no other explanation as to why so many humans and zombies would walk this way so often. Addison motioned for the pack, starting down the hall. "This way."

She walked on the balls of her feet, low to the ground, ready in the case of an attack. It hadn't happened in years, but whenever humans were around, things got messy very fast. Still, she had faith that things truly had changed. After all, zombies were in the school, playing sports and winning.

Her ears perked up, the voices of hundreds of humans all chanting catching her attention. They weren't too far away either. "_Zed!…Zed!...Zed!…Zed!..._" That was the name of that zombie from the trophy wall.

She moved fast, stopped when she was at the center of the noise. The wall was lined with double doors, the stench of humans and zombies at its strongest. Her pack crowded around her, standing over her to peer in through the windows.

"_As your president, I will make Seabrook a place that embraces zombies and_—"

Addison stretched, trying to see through the high windows. She was blocked by the wolves around her, forcing her down more.

"_Werewolves_?"

"_Uh, no. Why would we want—_" Addison jumped just in time to see some green haired zombie notice then in the windows. "_Werewolves!_"

The humans and zombies in the crowded room burst into panic. Behind her, Willa shouted, "They're going to attack! Wolves!"

Before she knew it, the pack was bursting through the doors, nearly trampling her in the process. Addison was pushed aside, left in the dust, like she always was when it came to protecting the pack. If she weren't the Great Alpha, she'd probably never leave the den. She wasn't as big or as strong or as fast as the other wolves, effectively useless in a fight.

The wolves rushed into the courtyard, sending the Seabrook students running. A large gap formed between the two groups, the wolves ready to attack while the students feared for their lives.

Zed panicked momentarily, his mind already racing with all the possible ways to keep his friends and classmates safe. After all, it was his fault the wolves had even been discovered. He looked around frantically, searching for an exit or a solution—maybe even the Z-alert could save them from the monsters. Then his eyes landed on his teammates, closer to the front than anyone else.

"Football team, defense!" he shouted over the noise, calling their attention. "Z-24!" They listened to their captain, rushing to the front and blocking off the wolves.

That was one problem solved. But the wolves were bloodthirsty beasts of the night. There was no telling what they wanted there.

Between all the commotion and the imminent doom, Eliza overall caught his eye, banging her wrist against the wooden podium before Zed. Zed jumped down, nearly tripping. Still, he wedged himself between her and the podium.

"Uh, Eliza? What are you doing?"

She looked at him, frantic. "Let's smash our Z-bands and zombie out," she rushed out. "We can use our strength to fend them off." She put up her fists, ready to fight.

"We can't lose control." Zed lifted his own fists, ready to fight as a last resort. "We are _not_ monsters." The wolves were monsters, not them, and Zed would go down fighting.

The wolves stopped, ready to attack, waiting for their command. A little wolf in the front with two buns on her head, one brown and one white, shouted, "Our razor sharp claws will gut 'em and splatter their blood."

Zed faltered, the whole student body backing up in fear. They were all going to die, even though they outnumbered the wolves.

Another wolf in the front—big, wild hair, most likely the leader—shot the little one a glare, prompting the latter to ask, "Too much?"

The leader nodded, then returned her attention to the students. "Wolves!" Her eyes glowed yellow, like that white haired wolf from the forest. "On my command!"

The entire pack snarled, fangs bared, eyes yellow and claws ready to attack. Even their chests glowed bright blue for reasons unclear. There was no way the humans stood a chance against the wolves. Maybe the zombies, though Zed highly doubted he and Eliza could take on the entire pack. Not with the z-bands on.

"Willa," Wyatt whispered beside her. She stood down, peeling her gaze from the school to her brother. "We can't go to war with the whole town."

Willa looked from her brother back to the crowd. They did seem more afraid than vengeful. And there was no way they were prepared for a fight; only two zombies stood in a fighting stance.

Wyatt continued, "We'll never find the moonstone if they're on high alert."

She huffed, muttering, "I hate it when you're right."

He shrugged, glancing around. "Where's Addison? Isn't this _her_ genius plan?"

Addison pushed between the siblings, glaring at them through the corner of her eye. "Wolves, stand down," she commanded, taking charge of the situation.

The pack paused, then stood down. Zed nodded, muttering an, "Okay." The new wolf—the one with a full head of white hair, unlike all the others—seemed to be a lot more civil. She was still a wolf, glowering and glaring at them, her light eyes scanning over the crowd.

Her eyes landed on him and she softened. "Hi," she said in a melodic voice. "Sorry, about, the, uh, confusion." She gave a nervous laugh and Zed bit back a grin. She was kind of adorable, when she wasn't about to attack them. "We werewolves _so_ admire your town, and we just came here to…" She glanced around. "To join your school."

"_What!_" All heads turned to Bucky Buchanan, finally emerging from the protection of the Aceys. "They can't join our school!"

Zed raised an eyebrow, looking back at the white-haired wolf. She was staring at Bucky, eyebrows raised in surprise. Luckily, Zed's football coach said, "Technically the Forbidden Forest is within the school district."

The white haired wolf smiled then, visibly relaxing. The rest of the wolf pack followed suit. Zed nodded slowly, letting his guard down. From up in the stands, Bonzo blared his horn and shouted, "_Gerlcom_ _Zeebook!_"

Zed chuckled, glancing back at his excited friend before returning his attention to the wolves who all looked equally confused and surprised. "He says welcome to Seabrook," Zed explained. He smiled, his eyes drifting back to the white haired leader, who gave him a smile in return.


	5. A Good Different

Skirts weren't ideal wolf-wear. Only alphas had access to them because they weren't ideal for hunting or running. But, it was Addison's first day of human high school. She'd heard people dressed nicely for their first day. So Addison dressed in a simple cotton, dusty yellow skirt and top, covering her shoulders with her leather vest. Winona touched up the pack's markings before they went off to school.

School.

Just the thought of it had her more giddy than she should've been. Addison would sneak out every summer and watch the school kids of all ages come to the woods. They always talked about classes and cute boys and girls, and going to parties or staying up all night to cram. Addison loved the elders with her whole heart, but they didn't offer much to learn. And now they were all too sick to offer any source of learning. So yeah, she was pretty stoked to be going to a real high school.

Her pack, on the other hand, wasn't.

They walked through the school doors and several heads turned in their direction. Willa looked around at them then growled, flaring her fangs and scaring the humans and zombies away. Wyatt looked over at her as they made their way down the hall, shaking his head. Addison watched the exchange with interest. Most of the time, Wyatt was the voice of reason when it came to Willa, and Addison still didn't know how he did it, or mastered it in the first place for that matter.

"These sheep just let us in?" Willa said, her voice nearly a growl. "_Baaaad_ idea."

"We agreed to play nice," Wyatt defended from where he was walking beside her, Addison a few steps behind them. He looked over at his sister in expasteration, his eyebrows raised.

Willa challenged him, "Oh, this is me being nice."

She reached out and stuck her claws into the row of lockers beside them, tearing through pastel metal and pulling her hand back just in time, barely missing maiming a human and a zombie standing together.

Wyatt offered no comment, instead directing his attention back on the students around them and taking in their shocked, and slightly horrified looks, as the group of wolves made their way to the end of the hall.

"Now let's find that moonstone."

Addison figured it's best not to speak up and remind Willa that they're no closer to finding it, but at the angry look still lingering in her eyes, she decided otherwise.

Wynter staggered behind the group, stopped at the water fountain. Behind her, Zed and Eliza entered the school. Neither of them paid any mind to the wolves in front of them, their attention drawn on Eliza's virtual checklist.

"Okay, here's our platform," Eliza said. "We fight for zombie toppings on pizza in the cafeteria."

Zed nodded. "Right."

"Get Zombie tongue taught as a second language."

"_Grut_."

"And a 'How-to-Overthrow Your Oppressors' after school club."

Zed stood, giving her an exasperated look. She smiled shamelessly. "Sorry, right. Don't over promise."

Zed rolled his eyes. "More importantly, we allow zombies at Prawn."

Eliza nodded her agreement. She locked her tablet and the two of them started down the hall again. "Step one to progress, right," she said. She paused, bobbing her head from side to side. "If you win."

Zed sighed, though she was right. He was moderately well known, but going against Bucky would be tough. He was so popular even adults knew of his legacy. And Zed was just a freshman.

"With cheer fans in Bucky's camp, and zombies and the football team in mine, the school's split right down the middle," he voiced. He glanced down the hall, the wolves standing at the other end. They growled at passing students, looking as if they were going to attack. Zed sighed and added, "Werewolves are the swing vote."

Eliza nodded her agreement. "Wolves are key to winning this election," she said. She glanced back at Zed and added, "But you know winning over the wolves is going to be hard."

Zed nodded slowly. His eyes wandered to the white haired wolf in the front, flipping through a binder and saying something to her pack. While the rest of the wolves looked ready for a fight, she looked soft and approachable, bouncing a little in her leather boots.

She almost looked...excited to be there, her lips pulled into a smile, her eyes bright and almost welcoming. He found himself staring before he could stop himself, his eyes moving from face down to the carefully picked outfit she's wearing, and she—

Looked really, really pretty.

"I mean," Zed started off slowly, his eyes still on the white-haired wolf. "The wolves can't be so bad. Not when they're so...pretty and nice-looking and—"

His ramble got cut off by the wolves taking off in the direction of the library, some of them growling as they went, but not the white-haired wolf. She lead them patiently, a spring in her step, even though there's a scowling wolf right at her back.

Eliza rolled her eyes as she watched her best friend ogle over one certain wolf, socking him in the arm long after they had gone. "Ouch!" He grumbled, rubbing at his arm and looking over at her. "What was that for?"

"_That_," she exclaimed pointedly, "was for getting distracted when we have a campaign to run!"

"I wasn't getting distracted!" He defended, and at the look she gave him, he groaned before finally giving in, slumping his shoulders and admitting the truth quietly. "Fine. I was getting a little distracted."

"Thank you."

"But maybe it was a good kind of distracted," he continued, an idea forming in his brain.

Eliza knew that look, where it looked like all the gears were turning in his head at a mile a minute, spinning and cranking and sputtering. Most of the time, that look meant he's either about to say something absolutely genius, or absolutely not genius at all.

This time, she was not so sure which it would be.

"Excuse me?"

Zed turned to her excitedly, grabbing at both her shoulders. "I have an idea, and I think it could work. Wolves work on pack mentality right? So if I can convince one wolf to vote for me, that wolf will convince the rest!"

Eliza sighed, "Zed I don't know if this is a bad idea or a horrible one. Getting close with the wolves just to get an edge up in the voting room? That doesn't seem like you."

That's because it's not, a voice hissed inside his head, but he shoved it away. Besides, this was not only a way to finally change things for zombiekind, but to also have a valid excuse to talk to that pretty wolf he couldn't take his eyes off of.

"Trust me, E, I got this. We're going to win the wolves' votes, and more. We just have to show them how to fit in, like us. Easy."

* * *

Addison guided the pack to the library, and then split them up by section, sending different wolves to search for different things. She suggested Willa and Wyatt look towards the back, which the former grumbled at before the latter reminded her how _Addy's the Great Alpha, she'll take care of it_ before pulling her away.

Wyatt's trusting words made Addison's stomach turn. She had no idea what to do, about the moonstone, about her place in the pack. About that zombie.

She had noticed him staring in the hallway, and knew he was the one who had seen her in the forest. She wouldn't forget that face or those eyes anytime soon.

He had watched her like she was something worthwhile in the hallway and it took all of her not to look back or walk away from the pack and towards him instead.

With a heavy sigh she pushed those thoughts away and made her way over to where the zombense books were located, figuring maybe the zombie history books will have a better version of the correct history than the human ones. She ran her clawed finger across the spines of books before stopping and pulling one that looked interesting out, only to find a prying zombie on the other end.

Quickly, and clumsily, he grabbed a random book from the same shelf and lifted it to hide his face and make it look like his eyes weren't following hers through the empty gaps in the bookshelf.

Addison rolled her eyes with a smile before making her way around the bookcase and carefully pulling the book down, revealing a sheepish zombie face looking down at hers.

"So," she said, eyeing him curiously, "why is a handsome zombie like yourself spying on me?"

The zombie opened and closed his mouth a few times, stuttering for something that actually sounds like a good answer.

"Uh, um, I'm uh—"

Addison gave him an innocent, knowing smile, her eyebrows raised. "Following me?" she supplied easily, watching as his brows raised and he jumped to say otherwise.

"No, no! No. I'm just, uh," he placed the book on a random shelf beside them and held out his pale hand, urging her to take it. "I'm Zed, Zed the Zombie, though uh," he cringed, "no one calls me that."

She stared at his hand for another moment before taking it, and he shook hers and she just followed the motion, having trouble bringing her attention away from his eyes.

"I'm Addison," she introduced, taking joy in the way his eyes lit up, and the way he didn't let go of her hand.

"Hi, Addy, I'm—" He cringed again, cursing himself quietly before stopping and shaking his head. "I'm sorry, is it okay if I call you—"

"It's perfect," she replied earnestly, and he chuckled, finally letting go of her hand so he can reach up and rub at the back of his neck.

There were only some members of the pack who had called her Addy, and besides Wyatt, that number was small. She likes the way Zed says it, even if he stumbles over it a little more than necessary. The thought made her smile.

"Anyway," he barreled onwards, "I promise I wasn't following you. Or, well, I was, but it wasn't for the reason you think." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm running for president, and since it's looking like the wolves will be the swing vote, I was just wondering—_hoping_—I could count on your vote."

He smiles, awkward and clumsy. Addison's blue eyes burned a hole through him, like she could see him for who he truly was, could see him without the Z-Band, could see him just as flesh and bone. She looked at him like she already knew him, and the thought sent shivers down his spine.

Did that mean she thought he was a monster too?

"Tell me," she said stepping closer, her voice quiet. He shivered at the closeness. "Why would I vote for you?"

His eyes scanned over her face, the gears in his brain turning out of control. She was close, so close, they were nearly touching. She made it hard to concentrate on his campaign, on _anything_.

"I, uh, I can help you," he offered. Her eyebrows jumped in surprise and he quickly added, "That book—it's all wrong. I can be your zombie tutor! I mean, I have no idea why you'd even want the history of zombietown broken down in a poorly written research book, but you can ask me anything. I'm always around, I'm always trying to help."

Addison blinked, slowly processing the words he'd just rushed out. She's silent for what feels like forever to Zed, when in reality, it's only a few seconds. Her head tilted to the side, eyes scrutinizing his every feature. Finally, she smiled, a small, soft smile that eased his nerves. "You'll really help us?"

"Of course," he said, "but honestly I'm sure any sane person would do anything to even talk to someone as beautiful as you."

Her eyes widen a fraction, her spine going rigid in surprise. But just as quickly as it had happened, she was back to smiling, saying, "Or just a crazy zombie, flirting with a wolf." She lifted a hand and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, swaying slightly. "Aren't you all supposed to be scared of us?"

"Well that depends." They got closer, his head arching down and her head tilting up so they were staring in each other's eyes. The only thing between them was the book cradled in Addison's arm. Zed dropped his voice, saying only for her to hear, "Should I be scared of you?"

"Should I be scared of you, zombie?" She countered breathlessly.

"Well I'm nothing compared to an alpha."

Addison faltered, her breath hitching in her throat. He thought she was the alpha, that was the only reason he had even approached her. He just wanted her to convince the pack to vote for him. But…it didn't explain all the flirting, or the way he was looking at her. There was no way this was strictly political.

She licked her lips then said, "Lucky for you, I'm not the alpha."

He frowned at that. He was sure she was the alpha; they always listened to her, not to mention she had a full head of white hair as opposed to just bangs. Add in the markings on her cheek—two lines that formed an A, with a crescent moon acting as the bisector. The mark was the most different from all the wolves. They'd spent a few days learning about the "mythical" beasts back in January, and Zed remembered that the alpha had the most unique markings of the whole pack.

"Wouldn't the alpha have these markings?" he asked. "Your markings are different from everyone else's."

Addison giggled a little. "Why are you paying so much attention to our pack, Zed the Zombie?"

Zed gave her a slightly shy smile, eyes flitting away bashfully. "I kinda wanted to impress you, win you over," he admitted. "And not just for the election. You just seem…nice, and different. A good different."

"You've only just met me."

Zed took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He forgot about the election, about needing the wolves vote or them being in the middle of the shelves of the school library. None of them mattered when he was talking to her. Werewolf or not, he just likes being near her.

"Right from the start you caught my eye," he whispered. His hand came up and cradled her jaw. "Something inside me…came to life."

Her eyes flickered over his lips, her eyelids drooping ever so slightly. "_Addison_." The two of them jumped apart, the book falling from Addison's hand in her surprise. Zed whipped around, slamming back into the shelves. Both their eyes landed on the other werewolf, the one with the wild hair that was now glowering at them, marching down the aisle.

She stopped, standing between them, looking back and forth between the recently separated pair. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her attention on Addison.

_She_ had to be the alpha.

Zed glanced at Addison, who had picked up the book. "Doing some research, Willa," Addison said. "My new friend Zed was helping me." She put the book back on the shelf. "He also warned me that this book was useless. Have you guys found anything?"

Willa narrowed her eyes at Addison, then glared at Zed. Zed in turn looked away, unable to stop the heat from rising in his cheeks. Was he going to kiss Addison? Was she going to kiss him? Whatever, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Willa caught them about to do whatever it was they were going to do.

Willa looked back at Addison and said, "Wyatt found a selection of settlement books. Come on."

Willa turned to leave, but stopped and snarled at Zed, forcing him further back into the shelves. Okay. Wolves were scary. He should be a _lot_ more careful around them.

Willa stalked out of the aisle, Addison following behind her. Zed watched them leave, taking several calming breaths. He needed to relax.

Then, of course, Addison turned back and smiled at him, sending his heart in another frenzy. He was not okay, he was _so_ not okay. She was going to be the death of him.


	6. Cut Ties

Addison stared at the page of the history book, the words blurring into nothing. Instead, her mind imagined those perfect brown eyes, that sweet smile. It was crazy, really. She'd noticed Zed before, remembered seeing him in the woods and scaring him shitless, and again when they first went to the school and he stood back to back with his friend. She wasn't blind to how cute he was. But she didn't expect to be crushing so hard so fast.

She inwardly sighed, his slick little smile coming to mind. She was lost in Zed-land, and didn't want to ever leave. Was this what love was like? There wasn't much romantic love in the pack, save between the Elder wolves who were all growing sick and weak, most of whom had already died from the moonstone sickness. Addison hadn't even seen her own parents together; she was only a few years old when her father had been captured and killed by hunters and her mother had gone mad from depression, becoming one of the first to succumb to the illness.

All these feelings were so foreign to her. It wasn't like there was anyone she could talk to about them either; she was supposed to be finding the moonstone, not daydreaming about Zed.

Willa slammed her own book closed, startling Addison out of her daydream. "Useless," Willa grumbled. Addison raised an eyebrow at her. "None of these history books say where the moonstone is hidden." She huffed, blowing a loose curl out of her face and slouching back in her chair.

Wyatt leaned over his sister. "Seems like we've hit a dead end," he said, looking at her. Willa nodded in agreement and both heads turned to look at Addison expectantly.

Oh right, that was her job.

"What now?" Wyatt grumbled.

Addison pursed her lips. There wasn't really a plan past doing research. Maybe if they read through again, looked for anything obscure? Of course, anything could be obscure in Seabrook.

Her pack watched her, but before she had to lie and make up some random plan, Zed walked up to their table, his friend Eliza and a little zombie girl with him. She grinned, both relieved that he had unknowingly saved her, and to see him.

"Hello wolves," he greeted. Addison covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Allow me to introduce myself," he held out a hand toward their table, "I'm Zed, zombie, football star, presidential hopeful."

The wolves glared at his outstretched hand. If she were closer, Addison would've shaken it, but his gesture was more towards Willa than anything. Still, when Zed awkwardly smiled and muttered, "Okay," she wanted nothing more than to get up and give him a hug. He clenched his hand into a fist and nodded, straightening up.

His friend, Eliza, stepped forward and smiled. "Hi," she greeted. "I'm Eliza. And that's Zed's little sister, Zoey."

The little girl with the French braids bounced on her heels, giving them an excited wave. Addison smiled, moving to wave but being stopped by Wyatt's hand on her shoulder. So she stayed put.

"When zombies first came to Seabrook, we were outsiders, too," Eliza said. "Which is why you need a great president like Zed to represent you. We'd be honored if you guys joined our campaign."

Addison glanced at Willa, hoping she'd consider the offer. But before she can even say anything, Wynter stood, clearly upset.

"Our pack is our pack," she said. "We don't need anyone else, so." She shrugged, giving them an annoyed smile.

"Who doesn't want more friends?" Zoey asked. She tilted her head at Wynter and added, "Underneath all that fluffy hair, I bet you're a real softie."

The kid was pretty adorable. And she wasn't wrong either. Addison had seen her pack on normal days, when they'd be running around and playing and laughing. She wasn't allowed to play with them, sure, but she still knew that they were capable of being nice. Especially Wynter.

Yet, she crouched down to Zoey's level and growled, "I am a mean, _mean_ werewolf, kid. I am tough and rough."

Zoey giggled and Addison blinked in surprise. There was a wolf, inches from her face, who was threatening her, and she _laughed_? Kid was brave.

"Aww, you said 'ruff!' Like a sweet little puppy dog." Zoey gushed. "I love dogs, and puppies! Sometimes Zed pretends to be my dog 'cause zombies aren't allowed to have pets." Addison tilted her head toward Zed, who had a pained smile on his face.

"I'm looking for a werefriend," Zoey went on.

Wynter lowered her head, growling again, "We are beasts of the forest, we will _never_ be tamed." Zoey giggled and reached up, scratching Wynter behind her ear. Wynter melted into the gesture.

Willa huffed and stood, startling everyone to the point that Zed was pulling his little sister away from Wynter.

"We're nothing like you zombies," Willa snarled.

Zed nudged his sister and she nodded, running off to a store past them.

Eliza squinted a little and said, "You sort of are. Your necklace is powered, right? Kind of like an organic Z-band."

Willa hummed, eyes scrutinizing Eliza before saying, "You're smarter than he looks."

Addison rolled her eyes and slid out of her chair, slipping away from the group. She caught sight of Zoey entering some shop and decided on a whim to follow her, barely glancing at the name. There wasn't any plan or reason she was following Zoey other than pure instinct. And her gut wasn't often wrong.

Addison followed the young zombie around the dimly lit grocery store for a full minute before Zoey stopped and turned around, dropping her hold of the wagon behind her, giving Addison a curious smile. She was a lot like Zed, really. Inquisitive eyes, casual mannerisms.

"You're Addison, right?" Zoey asked. "Zed's been talking about you all day."

Another thing Zoey has in common with Zed: making her blush.

"Oh? Well, yeah, I'm Addison." Addison stuttered. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Zoey said. "Why were you following me?"

"Oh." For the first time, Addison couldn't come up with an excuse on the spot. She usually did okay under pressure, yet she was blanking.

Zoey giggled though. "You can help me buy groceries, if you're not busy," she said. "Daddy left us forty dollars, and Zed won't help. He's too busy…well, he was trying to talk to you and win over the wolves. But now you're here with me!"

Addison laughed. "Well I'll be glad to help you," she said.

"Yay!" Zoey cheered. "Come on. We need bread and veggies and eggs—I can't believe I get to buy groceries with a real life werewolf!" She paused, tilting her head at Addison again. She chewed her lip thoughtfully, rocking on the balls of her feet, clearly debating something. How old was this kid?

"Can I hold your hand?" Zoey asked.

"Sure!"

Zoey smiled and took Addison's hand, taking a moment to admire the claws, then began leading her down the aisle. It was just bread, lots of different breads, all dark brown, growing lighter the closer they got to the top of the shelf. Zoey stopped in the middle and explained, "The cheap bread is on the bottom—close to the ground. Daddy got a promotion so we had middle bread last week. But Zed took some money for his campaign." Addison blinked in surprise. Zoey bent down and grabbed a loaf off the third shelf from the bottom. "It's not moldy, but it'll expire in two days. And it's only two bucks."

She smiled and placed it in her wagon, then started down the aisle. "Zed was right, you know," Zoey said.

"About what?"

"That you're very, _very_ pretty," Zoey said. "He said that he probably shouldn't even think a werewolf was so pretty and nice and great to be around, 'cause werewolves didn't like zombies and zombies shouldn't like werewolves. And that Eliza would kill him if she found out he was crushing on the prettiest wolf out there."

"He…he said that?"

Zoey nodded. "You wanna know what else he said?" She didn't really want to, but Zoey didn't give her much time to answer. "Zeddy says he wants to ask you to Prawn, but he doesn't think werewolves go to school dances. And also that it'd probably be a little weird since you guys only just met."

They stopped at the end of the aisle and Zoey picked out a large jar of peanut butter and placed it in the wagon.

"Zoey? Are you sure you should be telling me this?"

"Well…" Zoey smiled up at Addison, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Zed didn't tell me to keep it a secret."

"But!" Zoey skipped for a second then stopped. "If you don't want to hear more juicy stuff about my brother and his oh-so-adorable crush on you—did you know you're the only girl he's ever talked about? It's so weird! But, I can stop if you want."

"Yeah," Addison agreed. "It just feels like…maybe he didn't _want_ me to know all that?"

Zoey stared at her, eyes narrowed, clearly not comprehending. "Don't you know he likes you?"

"Well…" Yes, of course she knew. If the singular conversation that had started out with teasing and ended with him making her absolutely swoon hadn't been enough of a hint, then Zoey spilling everything he'd told her was. "Yes, Zoey. But I don't think he would want you telling me all this."

"Why not? How else are you gonna get together and live happily ever after?"

Zoey glanced around, then walked to the end of the aisle, making a sharp turn. Addison ran and caught up with her, finding Zoey staring at the wall of produce. There were _a lot_ of bugs. Like if a hunter had left their kill outside, and the dead animal was overtaken by ants and insects and flying critters. Then, of course, someone had to take care of getting the carcass away from the den. It always ended up being Addison, as "training" for finding the moonstone or some bullshit.

Zoey looked up at Addison. "I can't reach the top shelf. Let's split up the work."

Addison fixed Zoey with a confused look, but the little zombie had already walked away, going to grab a bag.

* * *

They spent five more minutes in the grocery store, talking about nothing in particular. The cashier ignored Addison completely, giving her nothing more than a frightened look. Addison didn't care, standing silently beside Zoey. She wouldn't look for problems, knowing humans and zombies were terrified of werewolves and it would be easier to avoid conflict than try and change their minds.

Zoey checked out, shoving her change in her pocket. She grabbed her wagon with one hand and Addison's hand with the other, the two of them walking out of the store and back into the sunlight. They left the store and found the pack, Zed and Eliza not where they had once been. They both looked around the street, Zoey spotting the group first and running down the sidewalk to them. Addison followed, laughing a little.

They're only a few feet away, though, when Zed called to someone across the street, who threw him a football. "See guys! Easy stuff!" Zed said, spinning the ball on his finger.

Zoey groaned, slowing to a walk to say to Addison, "He can be such a show off sometimes."

Addison laughed, wrapping an arm around Zoey's shoulder. "He is, isn't he?" she said. "He's lucky he's such an awesome big brother."

"I wouldn't say awesome…" Zoey trailed off, giving Addison a semi-serious that made her laugh even more. After a second, Zoey dropped the look and laughed, shaking her head.

Then, of course, they heard two loud grunts that startled them out of their jubilee. They both froze and looked over to the ground, where Wynter had just tackled Zed to the ground. Zoey tensed and Addison glanced down at her, her stomach twisted at the fear in Zoey's eyes. Wynter popped up but Zed stayed on the ground, his face twisted and a groan leaving his mouth again.

Addison's blood ran cold. What could have possibly happened in the ten minutes she was gone? Her pack laughed at the subdued zombie on the ground and Addison shot them a glare. It wasn't funny, it wasn't any sort of amusing. Wolves _didn't _hurt others, especially not someone as nice as Zed, who was just trying to help them.

Zoey dropped her hold of her groceries, ducked out from under Addison's arm, and ran. "Zed!" Zoey cried, sliding on the concrete until she was kneeling beside her brother.

Addison directed her attention to her pack and glared. Her moonstone warmed against her skin and she growled, drawing their attention. The majority had the decency to stop laughing and look towards the ground in shame. Except Willa, never Willa. No, Willa flicked her hair over her shoulder, stalking over to Addison, her brother and closest comrade (Wynter) flanking her sides.

Willa looked her up and down and asked, "And where have _you_ been?" Willa asked.

Addison narrowed her eyes. Willa really had the audacity to be pissed at her, _her_.

She was shorter, a million times shorter than Willa, and in no way intimidating. But her moonstone hummed, glowing as emotions overcame her, torn between what she wanted and what she was supposed to be doing. She wanted to go and check on Zed, place a hand on his shoulder, make sure he was okay, even bring some comfort to Zoey. She wanted to stand up to Willa, with her fangs bared and finally put her in her place and remind her that _she_ was the Great Alpha, not her.

She was torn between two very different endings, and she didn't know which one was the right choice. Her moonstone rumbled again against the skin of her neck, reminding her of her place, reminding her that she was supposed to be a leader.

Her pack came first.

The pack always had to come first.

Her eyes flashed yellow and she growled Willa's way, showing her fangs. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zed grab Zoey by the elbow and gently shove her behind him, so that his body was in front of her.

Her heart, or what's left of it, sank.

Eyes returning to normal, Willa watching her carefully, her lips screw into a firm line. "Where I've been is none of your business," Addison said evenly, getting her point across firmly, making sure Willa knew not to question her whereabouts again. It went against the pack mentality really, because it was in their nature to wonder where a packmate had gone, their absence a gaping hole until they returned. But Addison was her own person, and she would not be told what she could and couldn't do.

She's the Great Alpha.

She did what she wanted.

Willa's confidence wavered, her eyebrows scrunching together. That was good, that was really good. Finally, Addison was getting some respect.

"Let's go," Addison growled.

Her eyes land on Zed, slowly sitting up from the ground. He looked hurt. Not physically, more like he was, emotionally, mentally. Something in him was hurting, and she couldn't help but feel slightly responsible. Then his friend—Eliza, or something—grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

Addison returned her attention to Willa—to her pack. "We have a moonstone to find," she added. She turned around, forcing back thoughts of Zed. He would be okay. They'd see each other at school the next day.

* * *

Addison kicked the dry parchment roll, letting it spread itself out on the floor of her chambers. It wasn't more than two feet long, but she'd been using it for years to guide her investigation towards the moonstone.

It was mostly empty. There was a drawing of the moonstone from what the Elder's told her, an abridged version of how they'd lost it, and one lead: _ZOMBIES?_ It was less of a lead and more of an inquiry.

The first time she'd heard about zombies had been when she was in year four. There wasn't much to hear. There were zombies in Seabrook. No one was quite sure what they were or where they came from. Whatever it was, they were locked in one half of the town, which turned out to be the wolves' access point into Seabrook. No one ever monitored Zombietown for things other than zombies, which meant the wolves could come and go as they please, so long as they were sneaky about it.

The books they had taken from the library had given her a deeper insight to the zombie "race." She spread them out on her floor, pages bookmarked and ready for her to scour again. What was relevant—or seemed relevant—was all she was going to take. Her father had told her to look for the unusual in the perfect town, and zombies were just that. They _had_ to be the key to finding the moonstone.

The cover of her chamber yanked back violently and Addison paused. No one ever came to visit her, not when she was in her private chambers with her curtain down, especially not after what happened that afternoon with the zombies.

Addison turned, mildly surprised to see Willa and Wyatt standing in her doorway. Addison got to her feet. Something had to be wrong. There wasn't any other reason for them both to visit her unless something seriously dangerous was lurking.

"What's wrong?" Addison asked.

"What's wrong?" Willa scoffed. She crossed her arms, stepping toward Addison with her brother hot on her tail. "What's wrong is you, Addison."

"Wh-what?"

"You aren't helping anything," Willa seethed, her voice nearly a growl. Addison flinched. "Flirting with some zombie isn't going to lead us to the moonstone."

_Zed?_ Willa came bursting into her room because of some lanky zombie. The same zombie who was probably afraid of Addison now, who _didn't matter_. Addison put her blossoming feelings for Zed aside for the good of her pack, so she could find the moonstone. All for this bullshit?

"So what if it won't?" Addison exploded, anger from the past few days building and building and building. She wasn't even thinking about Zed, but Willa even bringing it up infuriated her beyond belief. "I will find our moonstone. I'm the Great Alpha, it's my destiny. If I want to use that zombie to get closer to my goals, then I will!"

Willa took a step forward, baring her teeth. Wyatt jumped in between them, holding both his arms out, making sure their claws can't reach one another.

Willa glared at her brother but didn't move, returning her attention to Addison. "You should be focusing on nothing but the mission."

Addison narrowed her eyes, her moonstone humming from where it sat on her chest. "I am focused on the mission," she whispered harshly.

"Bullshit."

"_Willa_," Wyatt whispered.

Addison stared Willa down, her words coming out in a cold, harsh whisper. "I _never_ forgot the quest. And it seems like I'm the only one in this pack who actually cares about finding the moonstone, while you're out there parading about and rejecting everyone who might be able to help us."

"If you were truly the great alpha, you wouldn't need help."

"I _am_—"

"You are nothing like us. Nothing." Willa spat. Addison flinched, taking a step back. "You can dress like us, pretend to be like us, but face it. You've always been different, Addison. You're not like our pack, and you never will be. If you ever find the moonstone, then we'll be done with you. You'll be nothing but an outsider."

Willa looked her up and down, scoffing, shaking her head. She turned and left. The air in the cavern was thick and silent, her words lingering, bouncing around in Addison's skull.

She was nothing to them. They just kept her around because she was supposed to lead them to the moonstone.

"Addy," Wyatt said. Her eyes snapped to his face, cold, bitterness spreading within her. She was _nothing _to them. "She doesn't mean that. We're all just a little stressed about this, that's it."

"Get out," she growled.

Wyatt reached out for her still. "Addison—"

"Get out!" she roared, raising her claws at him.

He frowned and stumbled backwards, brows drawn together. He didn't say anything but set his jaw, walking out of her chambers, letting the cover fall as he left.

She would never be like them.

None of them wanted her around, they just needed her. Just barely, too. Willa barely believed she was the great alpha.

If she didn't find the moonstone, then Willa would be right. The pack would die. And it'd be her fault. But if she did find it…she'd have served her purpose. They'd be fine without her. There wasn't any room in the pack for some white haired freak, not once they had the moonstone.

She was _nothing_ to them.


	7. Falling Hard

None of the wolves addressed her as they left for Seabrook High. Not one.

The woman in charge had given them all classes they were expected to go to. Addison didn't go to any, not wanting to risk seeing the wolf pack. They didn't want anything to do with her, and the feeling was mutual. Or mostly mutual. She didn't know yet.

Addison ended up holing herself in the library again. She sat in an aisle, surrounded by books from the school. She didn't bring her scroll with her, instead borrowing a journal from the school store and using it to take notes.

Anything that seemed out of the ordinary. It was the only lead Addison had. Seabrook was perfect, their history was perfect. Even though the textbooks were wrong, especially in regards to werewolves, they were perfect depictions of history. How would she even know if something was out of the ordinary? She wasn't even from Seabrook, all of it sounded so strange to her.

Was it even worth it? No matter what happened, she'd lose.

There was rustling behind her and Addison turned quickly, catching a cheerleader walk into the aisle. The girl stopped, her eyes going wide behind her pink glasses. "Oh, sorry!" she whispered loudly. "I didn't know anyone else was here. I'll go."

"No, it's fine," Addison grumbled. "I was about to leave anyway."

"Okay…"

Addison's turned to her mess of books and sighed. The cheerleader edged a little closer. "Well, if you don't mind me asking, what _were_ you doing?"

"Just some bogus research. Didn't find anything anyway." Addison closed her notebook and shoved it into her bag.

"Oh."

She lurked as Addison carelessly stacked up books. Addison ignored her presence. The faster she got rid of the books the faster she could run off and do…something far away from the library. Maybe even the school.

"That's not how the books go."

Addison glanced up. The cheerleader got down on her knees only a few feet away from Addison. "Mr. Sylvite—the librarian—will blow his top if you destroy his library," she said with a smile. "I'm kinda surprised he hasn't already kicked you out." She laughed, albeit nervously, and Addison couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face.

"Oh I'm pretty sure he's afraid of me," she joked. "Big bad werewolf, hiding out in his library."

The girl laughed for real this time. "Well, big bad werewolf, it's always easier to just do things the way that doesn't make other people's jobs harder, you know," the girl said. "The colors alternate, and they're all in certain sections. A lot of work."

"I got time," Addison grumbled. She had all the time in the world. Hide from the wolves, hide from Zed, hide from her one responsibility.

The cheerleader smiled at Addison. She staked a bunch of books in her arms and stood up and Addison followed suit, balancing the rest in her arms.

"I'm Addison, by the way."

"I know," the cheerleader said. "My friend—well, he's been talking about you _all_ morning. It's kinda annoying, but in the cute, boy way."

"Wait." Addison grinned, shaking her head. There was no way that the one human who'd come up to her was friends with the one zombie she'd talked to. The odds weren't there. "You're friends with Zed?"

"Yeah! Well, it's more like we hang out because his best friend is this guy I really really like and I'm pretty sure we're boyfriend-girlfriend. But he only speaks Old Zombie Tongue so it's hard to be sure. And he never even asked me to Prawn, officially. And now we can't even go together with the stupid Monster Laws and—"

The girl paused, finally taking a breath. Addison just blinked in surprise. This girl could _talk_.

The cheerleader smiled sheepishly. "I'm Bree. Sorry for getting off topic."

Addison smiled. "It's fine, really," she assured her. "It's…it's nice to have the company."

Bree grinned. She led Addison out of the aisle and they went around the library, returning the books to their shelves. Bree talked, a lot, about nothing important. Whatever caught her eye, she had some long winded story for which led to another story, that usually led to something else, none of which Addison minded.

Bree was nice, and sweet. She was kind of like Wynter. They were bubbly and energetic, always talking about nothing in particular, yet their words always made her feel more relaxed. Bree was a lot funnier than Wynter though, and she definitely didn't stop every time she screwed up to scold herself and beat against her head. Yes, Addison loved Wynter, but she could be a bit much sometimes.

"That's the last of it!" Bree declared. She grinned at Addison, the infectious smile spreading across Addison's face.

"Thanks for the help," she said.

Addison jumped at the sharp sound that rained from the ceiling. It had been going off all day, and yesterday too. It was like some sort of alarm, except no one seemed to be panicking like they should.

She looked to Bree, who was failing at hiding her laughter. "What _was_ that?" Addison asked, her face twisted in fearful confusion.

"It's the bell," Bree explained. "It tells us when class ends. That was the end of the second block, which was my study hall."

Addison frowned and raised an eyebrow. "These words you're saying aren't making sense."

"Yeah, school's weird like that!" Bree shrugged and Addison couldn't help but smile. At least she wasn't the only one who thought it was weird.

"We're coming up on lunch and advisory," Bree said. "Both of which I have to spend at cheer practice."

"Lunch? Isn't that when you eat?"

"Yeah, but Bucky is planning a huge pep rally when he wins—and he's so gonna win the election," Addison's eyebrows rose at how quickly Bree's train of thought diverted, "'cause they're just big popularity contests and Bucky is the most popular guy in—shoot, wait, no. I'm team Zed."

Addison laughed. "So cheer practice? Pep rally?" she asked, redirecting her new friend.

"Right! So _if_ Bucky wins, he wants us to do some killer new routine on Friday, when he'll announce the new cheer captains. 'Cause he can't have it all, which is so unfair since Zed gets to be football captain and president when—_if_ he wins." Bree grinned, proud of herself for actually finishing her train of thought.

"Right, of course."

"Do you want me to help you find your werewolf friends first? I know you guys like to stick together and it's a big school. I mean, I got lost three times in my first hour here!"

They both giggled. "Thanks for the offer," Addison said, "but I don't really wanna see them. We're kinda—"

"Fighting? I get it. I mean. I only hang out with zombies and I'm pretty sure half the time they wanna eat my brains."

Addison's eyes widened but Bree was grinning, which means she's only joking. Hopefully.

"What're your lunch plans?" Bree asked.

Addison turned and gestured to the library. "I've kinda been hiding in here all morning."

Bree pursed her lips, rocking on her heels. The gears in her head were turning and Addison watched, until Bree grinned, an idea brimming on her face. "Wanna come cheer with me?"

"What? No, I-I couldn't—"

"Addy—can I call you that?" Addison nodded. "The cheer team is for everyone. Bucky _can't _turn you away. It'll be so much fun!"

"Well…" Bree smiled hopefully and Addison couldn't help but relent, not that she was putting up much of a fight. She'd always been intrigued by the cheerleaders in the woods every summer, and now she was getting an opportunity to be a part of them. She grinned at Bree and nodded, both of them squealing in excitement and running off towards the gym.

* * *

All noise ceased as soon as she stepped into the gymnasium, standing tall despite all the staring, her moonstone shining under the neon lights above. She walked right up to who she assumed was in charge, some kid named Bucky whose president posters had been plastered right alongside Zed's, and she could tell his smile was forced and it was far too bright when he smiled at her, clasping his hands together.

"I'm sorry, but we're in the middle of practice-"

"I want to try out for cheer." Addison interrupted, her jaw up and chest puffed out, confidence radiating off her skin.

Someone on the team squeaked at her brashness. No one else moved, not daring to disturb the delicate balance Bucky had created over the years that Addison was attempting to push her way into.

Three cheerleaders rushed to flank Bucky, clearly his betas—a pale blonde girl with her hair pulled back in an insanely tight ponytail, and a boy and a girl with deep brown skin, though the twist of their faces was anything but pleasant. The girl with rich dark skin had big, wild hair, like a wolf. Almost like Willa's, except much shorter and tamer.

The blonde one who's ponytail was destroying her hairline snapped her neck. "Tryouts aren't until August."

The other boy crossed his arms, his eyes scrutinizing her every breath. "And we don't need the likes of you on our team."

The third girl's face twisted, worse than when Willa would demean Addison. It was more sarcastic and belittling. "Do mutts even cheer?"

Heat spread through her chest, a low growl rumbling deep in her throat. "What did you call me?" she said, her voice low and rumbling. The beta cheerleaders had the decency to be afraid, scurrying away from her and hanging around several feet away.

Bucky clapped and Addison whipped her attention to him. The power from her moonstone continued to course through her veins, strength flowing through her every nerve. One wrong word and she's have this sparkly cheerleader stuck between her fangs.

He grinned, stupid dimples accentuating his pretentious face. "What the Aceys mean to say is that tryouts are closed, but, I am legally obligated to allow…monsters, such as yourself on the team." He chuckled to himself, several of the other cheerleaders laughing awkwardly alongside him.

Addison raised an eyebrow, looking between them all. They were very strange. Bucky smiled at her, all teeth, and added, "Think you can keep up…Alpha?"

Addison stepped closer to him. "Addison will do just fine," she told him. "And I've got more than enough, as you say, shish boom bah." His mocking grin dropped and she smirked.

"I didn't expect you wolves to cheer in your damp cave or wherever you live."

"A den?"

"Don't care."

Bucky blew his whistle, the loud, piercing sound startling Addison. The cheerleaders started running into places and Addison watched for a moment, then walked over to the formation, standing on the end of the first line.

"We're learning a new routine today," Bucky announced. "Lacey. Jacey, take the A-team. Stacey, take the stunt team. Z-team, you're with me."

He blew his whistle again and commotion broke out in the gym. Addison barely heard him call, "You too, Wolfie!"

* * *

Addison hit the hardwood with a grunt, the ground beneath her letting out an ear splitting crack that pounded in her ears. All the air left her lungs, pain flaring through her back and spreading to every already aching limb. She heard quiet snickers around her but ignored them. Her moonstone glowed hot against her skin, its power healing her from the drop.

Those dumb humans had dropped her in the middle of a stunt and had the audacity to laugh. She growled quietly and the cheerleaders all froze, as they should. The line between humans and zombies being afraid of her and liking her was a fine one, and Addison walked it _hard_.

"Addy!" Bree cried, looming over her. Addison snapped her gaze to her friend, wanting to be angry but unable to hold the feeling at the sight of Bree's concern. She took Bree's outstretched hand, getting onto her feet.

Her moonstone was hot, too hot against her skin, her vision blurring, black spots dancing in the corner of her eyes. "Woah," she muttered, gripping onto Bree for support. Everything had happened too fast—her body aches and her moonstone tried with all of its power to heal her, ease her pain, something, _anything_. But it turned out to be too low on charge, going green against her skin and sucking the life out of her instead.

Her claws dig into Bree's arm, her other hand clutching her moonstone away from her skin. She coughed, dry, painful coughs that sucked everything from her.

She was sure the cheerleaders were looking at her, but they were the least of her concern. Her limbs grew heavy, aches settling in her bones. A further reminder that she needed to hurry up and find the moonstone before the sickness got to her too.

Just as she was on the verge of ripping off her moonstone, the coughing faded, her vision returning to normal as well as all the feeling in her body. She hadn't even noticed that Bree had guided her away from the center of the court and both Bree and Bucky were holding her up with support.

"Addy, are you okay?" Bree asked.

Addison swallowed, trying to quench her dry throat. It was a particularly bad spout of the sickness and she wished she were home, at the den, where she could get some tea to help her feel better. She simply nodded for Bree.

"What was that?" Bucky asked. "I wouldn't want the downfall of the alpha on my hands and all."

"My moonstone," she whispered, her fingers still clutching the foggy gem. "It's losing its charge."

Bucky raised an eyebrow at that. "Moonstone?"

"It's what makes werewolves, werewolves," Addison explained. "Without it, we die."

"Well, can't you just recharge it?" Bucky scoffed. "You monsters, always making things way more complicated than they need to be. I know, I know, I'm a genius."

Addison fought the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn't have expected him to know or understand how serious the situation was, all she could do was try and explain it to him. He wasn't a wolf, and she was fairly certain she was the first wolf he'd interacted with. There was no reason for her to be so critical of him and his wolf knowledge.

"Seabrook settlers stole our moonstone—" Bucky held up a finger and Addison stopped, glaring at the appendage.

"Save the history lesson for class, Alpha," he told her. "We have more important things to discuss."

"Like you," Bree muttered, just as Bucky said, "Like me!"

He was kind of awful.

Luckily, the doors to the gym burst open. All heads turned, Zed and two of his friends pausing in the doorway. _Zed_! She hadn't seen him for a few hours and she already missed him beyond belief. He was _so_ cute.

Bucky groaned, rolling his eyes. "Bonzo, you're late! _Again_!"

"Relax Bucky," the girl from yesterday said. "We were with Principal Lee, doing the music for the debate."

"I wasn't talking to _you_, Zambie."

The girl and Bucky continued to argue, but Addison tuned them out because Zed was heading to her. She inwardly squealed, letting go of Bree and flattening out her hair. It didn't matter that she was exhausted and in pain, she'd faked it for her pack, she could fake it for Zed.

He stopped in front of her and smiled, first at Bree then Addison—who couldn't help but notice the way it grew when he smiled at her. "Hey Bree, hey Addison."

"Hi," Addison said.

He nodded, his thumbs looping in the belt loops of his pants. "I, uh, didn't know you were into cheer," he said. "It's cool."

"It's a pain," she said, making him laugh.

"I didn't want to make you feel bad," he admitted. "Bucky is kind of a—"

"_Zed_!" Bucky shouted, making both of them jump.

Addison looked up at him and he just rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "That," he said. He turned around to give Bucky his attention.

"Use that draggy leg and get your ass to Principal Lee, I'm not gonna wait all day here!"

Zed groaned, turning back to Addison. "I have a meeting for the presidential debate tomorrow," he explained. "But I'll see you later?"

"Yes!" she said, too quickly, too energetically. She was starting to sound like Wynter, which was never a good thing. "I-I'll be here. Hanging with my new friend Bree."

"I'll be back." He gave her one last smile, then turned and jogged over to Bucky.

Addison let out a blissful sigh. He was even cute running. She couldn't imagine him during football season, being the star of whatever he called himself. She'd already seen the pictures in different newspapers in the library. Seeing him in person, all sweaty and cute. It would be the death of her.

"Aw!" Bree gushed. Heat spread across Addison's cheeks. She turned around to her friend, smiling shyly. "You guys are _so_ cute!"

Addison giggled, glancing down at the ground. "He's so handsome and _so_ nice," she whispered. She looked up at Bree and added, "I mean, I like, really like spending time with him. I feel like he could be…you know, the _one_."

Bree gasped, grabbing Addison's hands and drawing her attention. Her smile was wider than Addison had ever seen it, if that was even possible. "Oh my gosh! You _like_ like Zed!"

Addison beamed too, though she wasn't quite sure what '_like_ like' meant, as opposed to regular liking. Whatever the case, it sounded good.

Bucky blew his whistle and everyone froze, whipping around to him, still standing by the door with Zed and his two friends. "Get into position!"

Bree dragged Addison back to the center of the court, where they fell in line again. "I'll be back soon, and when I come back, we'll run through the routine again, and it will be _flawless_," Bucky said.

He fixed his team with a final glare, then stalked out of the gym, calling behind him, "Let's go Stringbean!"

No one moved for several seconds after Bucky left. Technically speaking, when the alpha wasn't present, the beta was in charge. Which meant that, with Bucky gone, his three lackeys should have been running practice.

Instead, the second Zed and Bucky left the gym, the cheerleaders broke off into groups, talking or sitting around with their friends. Addison turned, seeking out Bree to find her hugging the tall zombie that had come in with Zed—they'd called him Bonzo. She shouldn't interrupt. From the way they were acting, they had to be romantically involved, probably mates or something. But she also couldn't stand in the middle of the gym like a lost werepup.

Her eyes landed on the girl zombie who had been with Zed—both the day before when the wolves were in Zombietown, and earlier when they had walked into the gym. Ellen or Eleanor or Ellie or something. Something with an E. She was settling in the raised benches. Addison marched over to her, crossing the gym with quick confidence, climbing the benches like stairs and stopping next to Zed's friend.

The zombie slowly lifted her head, raising her eyebrow. "Uh, hello?" she said.

Addison smiled and sat down next to her. "Hi," she said. "I'm Addison."

The zombie smiled. "I know who you are," she said. "Eliza. We met yesterday."

"Yeah, I remember," Addison said.

Eliza nodded, glancing around the gym. Addison's knee bounced, her gaze looking around too. It was silent between them and Addison smiled to herself. Eliza hadn't told her to leave yet. She was nice, nicer than most wolves. A lot of the humans and zombies were pretty nice to her.

"Is there, like, a reason you came up to me?" Eliza asked.

Addison turned to her and smiled. "Well, I'm at cheer because my new friend Bree invited me and Bucky let me try," she explained. "And now we're on break, and Bree is clearly hanging with her mate. And I don't know anyone on the team. And you're one of Zed's friends, which means you aren't a total jerk."

Eliza giggled at that, ducking her head down. "Uh, thanks," she said. "I'll take 'not a total jerk' over 'loud, angry, annoying zombie' any day."

Addison gave her a smile and slid closer. "If it's any consolation, I've known you for like, five seconds, and I don't think any of those things."

"It's not, but thanks for trying," Eliza said. "Why are you even here? I saw your pack like, ten minutes ago, scouring the halls for their 'moonstone' or something."

"I'm kind of avoiding them," Addison drew out. "We don't really…get along."

Eliza nodded her head. "I get it," she said. "We used to be the three musketeers. But this high school stuff, it really changed us. I mean, Bonzo does every after school activity. And when he's not doing that, he's with Bree, his maybe-kinda-girlfriend. It's like he never had time for us. And I'm pretty sure Zed hates me now."

"What? I don't think he hates you. I don't even think he has the capacity to hate someone."

Eliza scoffed. "Yeah right," she muttered. She slid onto the bench in front of Addison. Addison's brows rose in surprise. She hadn't dubbed Eliza as the preaching type, but that's exactly what she did. "We've been fighting for zombie rights our whole lives. And things only get better when we conform and change to fit in with the humans. And now, the humans want to tear down the single most important piece of zombie history so they can build _another_ cheer place, as if we need that!"

Eliza huffed, shaking her head. Addison watched with confused eyes. Seabrook was supposed to be perfect, but the way Eliza was talking made it sound…awful.

"I didn't realize zombies had it so bad," Addison said. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? It's not like it's your fault. Unless you know something I don't."

Addison shook her head. She reached into the secret pocket of her vest and pulled out her journal. "Trust me, I don't know anything," she said. "Everything I know about this town is here and I mean, it doesn't seem like it's all real or the truth."

Eliza nodded slowly, eyeing the notebook suspiciously. "Where'd you get that from?"

Addison smiled. "I borrowed it from the school store."

"You can't borrow things from the—oh my Z you stole it." Eliza groaned but laughed, shaking her head.

Addison just watched, her confusion deepening. Talking to Eliza wasn't like talking to anyone else she'd met. She was real and honest and unapologetically herself, not even fazed by Addison being a wolf. Of course, she said things Addison didn't quite understand, but Addison didn't feel embarrassed asking for clarification. Eliza wouldn't mock her when she asked questions.

"What does 'oh my Z' mean?"

"Oh, it's just an expression," Eliza waved off. "Like the zombie version of 'oh my gosh' or like, 'wow.'"

Addison nodded slowly. She flipped her journal to the last page she had been writing on. "Can I write that down? I'm trying to keep track of slightly out of the ordinary things in Seabrook."

"To find your moonstone, right." Eliza shrugged. "I don't mind. Ask me anything if you want."

"Really?"

Eliza nodded. "Of course," she said.

Addison smiled and scrubbed down the phrase. "Why Z? 'Cause you guys are zombies?"

Eliza shook her head. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a hunk of mental and pieces, which she opened like a book and began typing into. "Z was the first zombie," she explained.

"The…first?"

"Zombies didn't always exist. Like, fifty years ago, there was an accident at Seabrook Power. A little lime soda and some industrial strength Seabrook energy and bam. Zombies."

Addison nodded, taking a moment to process the information then scribble it down. None of this was written in any of the history books Addison had gone through, not to this extent.

"They're trying to tear down Seabrook Power," Eliza went on. "Which is so unjust. It's the birthplace of all zombies—it's like the cultural hub of everything we come from." Eliza leaned forward on her elbows. "Seabrook Power holds everything about zombies past, present, and future. They can't tear it down!"

Addison nodded in agreement, her eyebrows turning down with the same seriousness Eliza carried. Humans loved to flex their power over monsters, first stealing the wolves's moonstone and banishing them to the Forbidden Forest, then "protecting the humans" by placing zombies under strict "recommendations" like curfew and a barrier and uniforms.

"What are we gonna do to stop them?" Addison asked.

"Eliza!" They both jumped. Addison turned and saw Zed, breaking into a wide, excited grin. She hadn't seen him all day and now he was walking towards her, making her heart flutter and every fiber of her being buzzed with excitement.

He looked upset and somewhat concerned, but when his eyes met hers he softened and smiled, taking the seat beside her. "What's she doing? Corrupting you?" Zed asked, a playful smile on his lips.

Addison couldn't help but giggle. "I'm not _corrupting _her," Eliza said. "Just getting to know your girlfriend."

Eliza grinned wicked and Zed blanched, going stiff beside her. Addison whipped her attention to him, hearing him stutter and stammer, "She's—what—we're not—she's _not_ my girlfriend."

Addison looked at him in confusion. She was his girl friend. Unless he didn't think of her as a friend, and she'd been reading into something that wasn't there. "Yes I am."

Zed looked at her with wild eyes while Eliza snickered, though Addison wasn't sure what was so surprising or funny about it. "I'm your girl friend," Addison repeated. "Like Eliza!"

Eliza laughed, dropping her head onto her knees, her whole body shaking. Addison raised an eyebrow, turning to Zed and asking, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no," he assured her. "It's just—there's a difference between a friend who's a girl, and a _girlfriend_."

She stared at him blankly. "I don't understand."

Eliza laughed at her and Addison frowned. She didn't make fun of people for not understanding her references. That was plain mean.

"You don't know what a girlfriend is?" Zed asked.

She shook her head, looking to the ground. In the den, if you didn't know something, people would line up just to teach you and expand your knowledge. In Seabrook, they made fun of each other. Good to know.

"It's like, it's someone you date," he said.

"Date?"

"Yeah! Like, taking walks in the park and getting food together."

Addison raised an eyebrow. Those sounded suspiciously like dog things, and she'd had her fair share of rude comments in her days at Seabrook High. "Did you say those things 'cause I'm a werewolf?"

"What? No! I—Okay I get how that _sounds_ bad. But it's just, you know, normal boyfriend-girlfriend stuff."

"So having a boyfriend-girlfriend is like having a pet?"

"No it's—"

"For Z's sake," Eliza grumbled. Both of them looked at her, Addison's eyebrows drawn together. Maybe Eliza would get this to make sense. Addison already knew she'd have a condescending attitude, but she'd dealt with know-it-alls her whole life (Willa).

"Look, down on the court," Eliza said. Addison and Zed both turned around. "See Bree and Bonzo? What do you think they are?"

"Mates," Addison answered. She turned back to Eliza and added, "Two people born to be together, deeply in love, bonded for life. You know, mates." She shrugged and smiled.

Zed and Eliza exchanged a surprised look that set her on edge. It was like every word she said was wrong.

"Okay, so if you dialed that down by, like, _a lot_, you've got the concept of dating," Eliza said. "It's like trying to find your mate. You spend time with someone doing special activities. All that good stuff."

Addison nodded. She opened her notebook again, scrubbing down a quick note: _boyfriend, girlfriend, dating—trial run on being mates?_ It wasn't technically relevant to her investigation, but still important to know.

Zed leaned over her shoulder to look at her notebook. "What's all this?" he whispered.

"Notes for my investigation."

"Your what?"

"Just go with it," Eliza said, "the less questions the better."

"I just don't understand where dating plays into—"

The gym doors burst open yet again. Her pack's scent flooded her nose and she inwardly groaned. The day had been going so well.

"_There she is!_" Wyatt shouted.

"_Hey!_" Bucky protested. "_This is a _closed _practice!_"

Addison groaned, closing her book. "I better go see what they want," she said, giving Zed an apologetic smile. "But I'll be right back. Promise." He smiled in return, nodding.

Addison flipped her notebook closed and stood. Zed and Eliza both watched her stand there for a second, before she turned to Zed, holding out her book and asking, "Keep this safe until I get back?"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

She handed it to him, then leaned down and kissed his cheek. _His cheek!_ He flushed, excitement bubbling through his core. She straightened and he looked up at her, seeing her sweet smile.

"I hope I didn't overstep, I just thought that's what girlfriends did."

Girlfriend.

He nodded, afraid his voice would betray him if he tried to talk. Addison giggled and rushed down the bleachers, leaving him with Eliza. Zed could barely breathe; he was sure if he had a heart, it would have stopped.

Everything with Addison was simpler than he'd thought it'd be. He was fairly certain that she considered herself his girlfriend. Everything about her was like nothing he'd ever known before.

"Well she's weird," Eliza said. "But cool."

Zed nodded, finally regaining some of his composure. "For a werewolf."

"Nah, she's just…cool," Eliza said. "You guys look good together."

Zed grinned, glancing down at the notebook in his hand. _Addison's _notebook.

"I really like her," he whispered. "She's just so…different." He lifted his gaze and nodded. "She's not like anyone I've ever met."

He knew Eliza didn't care and had probably stopped listening a long time ago. But he continued, wanting to figure out this _thing_ with Addison. It was more than just testing out the waters because he liked her and she liked him. So much more was at stake, because he was a zombie and she was a werewolf. So much more could go wrong.

"She's not like the wolves," he said.

Eliza snorted. "Yeah they all _hate_ you." He fixed her with a glare that she just laughed at. "I'm serious, all the wolves hate you, except her."

"That's not my fault! I _tried_ being nice to them."

"You tried to get them to change themselves so they could fit in."

"Yeah and they chose to stand out like a sore thumb and make _everyone's _lives more difficult." Zed huffed, shaking his head. "I mean, you can't really think that scaring the entire Seabrook population is a good thing. We've spent years trying to get humans to accept us. And now humans are just lumping us all together, even though we're trying so hard to fit in and the wolves couldn't care less. It's so…ugh."

Eliza hummed in response. "I know," she said. "Years of hard work, down the drain. Everything we've worked for just gets taken away because of stupid werewolves. But," she grinned at him, "with you as president, you can change that."

"I know," he said. "Make life better for zombies." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. It'd be an impossible task with the werewolves around. Every time the zombies made a step forward, the wolves would screw it up and push them ten steps back. And they didn't even care.

Eliza stiffened, her eyes trained behind him. She muttered, "Oh no," and Zed turned around, seeing the wolves all arguing with Addison on the gym floor. It was loud, not loud enough for them to know what was going on, but close to it.

Zed and Eliza both stand, ready to march down there and…and do what? Two zombies against a pack of werewolves? Maybe if they didn't have their Z-Bands, but Zed wasn't sure if he was willing to risk his entire campaign for that. If the cheerleaders saw him and Eliza fighting, they'd spread the word like gossip. He'd be nothing more than a monster, and he was more than that.

He could handle this just like any human could: talking.

But Willa shoved Addison's shoulder, saying something harsh that Zed couldn't hear from up in the bleachers. Addison shook her head, shoving past Willa and Wyatt and running—running right out of the gym. Everyone was stunned, silent, the gym doors banging closed with a resonating echo.

Before he realized it, he was running. Running down the steps, shooting a glare at the werewolves as he passed. Running after Addison, bursting through the gym doors and chasing after her.


	8. Hold Me (Until I'm Okay)

Leaves crunched under his sneakers. He couldn't hear anything other than his own pounding heart and his desperate cries of her name. He was running on nothing but pure instinct, losing sight of Addison the second she had run through the broken gate of the Forbidden Forest. Every muscle in his body burned but he kept pushing, harder, faster, refusing to stop.

He stopped after nearly tripping over a root, panting in the middle of the forest. Trees stretched for miles on end, blue sky peaking between the canopy. Birds flew across the sky, screeching and chirping overhead. Wind rustled the trees, his hair, sending a chill down his spin.

"_Addison_!" he cried, his voice echoing through the trees. She couldn't have been far. She _had _to hear him. He had stumbled upon her and her den on accident, he could find her on purpose.

Leaves and sticks broke under some boots behind him and he whipped around, relief flooding his veins. He thought it was Addison. It had made sense to be Addison.

Something glinted in the sunlight, a flash of white shining against his eyes like reflective metal. The person clicked their tongue, walking slowly toward him. Zed blinked, white spots obstructing his vision, but he made out two figures—'_Not Addison_.' The men were big and burly, dark and sleek weapons drawn, pointed at Zed.

His stomach sank. _Monster hunters_.

He'd only ever seen them in Zombietown after dark. All zombies knew tricks and tips to avoid getting caught up with monster hunters, but this was different, this was wildly different.

He threw his hands up in surrender, trying to ease them. If he complied and gave in, maybe they wouldn't hurt him too badly. The two hunters started to circle him, going in opposite directions. Zed knew he was screwed, there was no way he was leaving this unharmed. His fingers tightened around Addison's journal; he would go down fighting for her. Anything for her.

The hunter to his right whistled. "Look what we got here, Travis," he said. "A rogue zombie."

Zed swallowed, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge. His options raced through his head: _run._ But he couldn't. He was lost in the woods and no one knew where he was. He could die and no one would know for days.

No. He couldn't do that to his dad. To Zoey.

The hunters taunted him but he tuned them out, trying to think of an escape plan. His only option was to run—run as fast and as far as he could. If he ran in a zigzag it'd be harder for them to shoot at him.

The other hunter clicked his tongue in a sort of animal calling, taunting him. "Wha'd'ya got there, Zombie?"

Zed tightened his grip on Addison's notebook. He didn't know what exactly was in it, but Addison had entrusted him with it. Something flared within him, something he couldn't quite identify. He would fight the hunters because he didn't deserve to die in the woods, because it was unfair to himself and his family, and because he swore on his undead heart that he'd see Addison again.

One of the hunters inched forward and Zed took a step back, causing both men to cock their weapons. "Don't move!" one of them bellowed.

"Drop the book, and _maybe_ we won't blow that head of yours off," Travis spat. "Do you understand, Rotter?"

Zed didn't move, silently praying for a miracle, for a way out of the situation. He had to run, it was the only way out, but they could easily kill him and break off his Z-Band and claim he went rogue in the woods. He had to be smart about it.

The unnamed hunter fired into the trees and Zed jumped, using everything in him to not scream. That could've been it, they could've hit him. His heart sank to the ground. His eyes landed on the hunter, a deranged, psychotic look on his face.

"Answer the _fucking_ _question_!" he raged.

Zed swallowed, then ran, turning on his heels, dirty converse pounding against the dirt and grass. Wind whistled past his ears. The hunters shouted and shot at him, but he pushed, his heart pounding, legs burning, weaving through trees and bushes. He ran like a madman. Their shots hit the trees, sending bark and dirt and dust raining down over him.

A tree exploded to his right and he slid through the mud, nearly falling. He shot a hand down, sliding around in the dirt and making a hard left. He barely regained footing, slipping and sliding in the mud. Later, his dad would yell at him for getting so dirty, but the thought barely mattered to him now. _Run run run run_. He'd reached the edge of the forest at some point, and would either end up in Zombietown or Seabrook or the road, somewhere familiar at least.

He vaguely registered the dip in the ground, dirt giving way under the sole of his sneaker. Then there's no ground, just darkness, and he's falling, screaming, dirt and mud and leaves and twigs scraping his skin. He fell for what felt like forever, until he slammed into the ground, sharp, stabbing fire ripping through his right arm and side. His vision went red, a blood curdling screaming ripping from his throat. Black spots danced in his vision and he blacked out momentarily, his body throbbing, pain echoing in every cell.

Oceans away, he heard voices, dark, mocking, laughing. "Looks…caught…zombie…wolf trap…" Zed's head was swimming, pounding as he fought to stay conscious. It was hopeless, he was caught, trapped, probably with broken bones. He brought his left hand over his torso, trying to dull the pain that was everywhere, vaguely registering the warm, sticky liquid coating his stomach.

'_Nonononono_.'

"…see what…bie Patrol says…find a dead rogue zom…," one of the voices sneered.

Zed turned, a silent wail trembling his lips. He got one last look at the white sunlight, far, far above. The beeps of his Z-Band shutting down flooded his ears and everything went numb. Every breath came out labored and painful, his senses diluting to almost nothing. His brain emptied, not enough blood moving in his body for him to think clearly. One word weighed heavy on his mind:

_Brains._

Slowly, he stumbled to his feet, his right leg limp like it was barely even there. He didn't care, letting out a guttural roar, the ground shaking around him. His mouth was dry, the craving for brains and flesh overtaking him. His nose twitched, picking up the scent of humans not too far away.

"_NO!_" He could control it, he had to. He was stronger than his zombie, he didn't need brains, didn't need to hurt anyone.

"_Brains!_" he roared, whipping around, trying to find the source of the smell.

His muscles spazzed, twitching, achingly numb. He needed brains, more than he needed air. He beat against the dirt walls caging him in, frantic for a way out. Rocks and dirt rained down on his head and he looked up, hissing in the sunlight.

_Sunlight_.

Sunlight meant outdoors. More space to roam, to find humans, to find _brains_. Follow the light, follow the smell, and get rewarded.

His thoughts turned to nothing, determination set in his every bone. He was weak, hurting, and the only thing that could make any of it better was…brains. Still, he pushed, _needing_ food. He could barely feel his right arm, but grunted through the pain, scaling the dark, dirt walls around him. His fingers scraped against jagged rocks, damp dirt sticking to his pale skin. The closer he got to the top, the more the scent overwhelmed him, taking over his every sense.

He stopped a few feet from the opening, a bone chilling howl startling his brain. Humans didn't howl.

He didn't get a second to think about it, a head full of white hair popping over the opening, face washed out by the sun. He growled, low and quiet in his throat. But a voice broke through his anger and rage; it was frantic, but still startled him to a calm state, achingly familiar.

"_Zed!_" she cried above him. "Zed! Take my hand!"

She wasn't human, her scent was too feral. The woods around him emanated off of her, stronger, more intense than actually being in the woods. Yet there was something so comforting, so warm and loving about her. He could trust her, he knew it in his barely beating heart, his foggy, messed up brain, everywhere.

He grabbed her outstretched hand, using her help to climb out of the hole. The scent of the humans was gone, lingering in the grass that he rolled through with a grunt. Sun burned his eyes and he rolled into his stomach, only to bolt up and roar into the air, sharp, stabbing pain ripping from his abdomen and flaring through his body.

"Zed?" The girl shuffled in the grass and he whipped his head around, panting, grunting.

She's pretty, dark eyebrows drawn together in concern. _For him_? He didn't know. White hair cascades around her shoulders, big and wild but perfectly tamed, with bronze barrettes and brackets holding twists and braids in place. Her pale skin looked soft, softer than anything he'd ever seen, and he wanted to hold her close, never let her go. He knew her, it was nagging at the back of his brain. But everything's too foggy, his head swimming with rage and pain he could barely tell which way was up.

"Zed…"

Her small, pale hand reached for him and he looked down, gauging something thick and brown sticking out from his stomach, piercing his skin and soaking his clothes. His breathing intensified, both out of fear and rage, knowing there was no way he'd done it to himself and bloodthirsty _humans_ had to be involved.

"You're okay," the girl reassured him, her voice calm and steady. He looked back up at her, barely able to breathe. "I can help, okay? Do you trust me?"

He stared at her and she took it as an answer. She reached behind and removed her rock necklace, holding it in the palm of her hand. She held the rock part out, then pressed it into his Z-Band, sending it into complete shut down. Sparks flew from the metal, irregular shocks vibrating up his arm. His muscles twitched and spazzed in response and he roared, trying to jerk away from her.

She yanked her necklace away and his Z-Band screen flashed green, the pulses returning to regular. Everything hit him at full force and he doubled over, screaming in pain, clutching his stomach and his arm and his side. _Everything_ hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth, barely able to maintain the pain. Every breath hurt, every small movement making him want to sink into the ground and never ever move again.

"_Zed!_" Addison cried.

She grabbed him by his shoulders, sending white hot fire through his body. "Hey, hey," she said softly, a stark contrast to the burst of angry fire ripping through his body. He forced his eyes open and found he was laying in her lap, looking up at her. "It's okay, you're okay."

Her voice was strangely soothing. She ran her fingers through his hair, her sharp claws tracing patterns in his skin that slowly drew his mind from the pain.

"Those guys are gone now," she assured him. "You're okay."

"It…hurts," he wheezed.

She pushed his hair from his forehead, giving him a soft smile. "We're not too far from the den," she told him. "I'll help you up, okay?"

He swallowed, but nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Addison kept her arm wrapped tightly around his middle. She helped him climb down the rocky step formation into the den. He pushed the pain to the back of his head, focusing on Addison and the wolf den. It was like an underground rock cave, with dark walls and intricate designs carved high in the ceiling. They stopped at a doorway and Addison said quickly, without looking up at him, "I'm gonna take you back to my private cot but no one can know you're here so you're going to have to speed up."

"Uh, okay?"

"Most of the pack is still out with Willa, so we just need to go unnoticed past the pups and the elders."

Zed nodded. They both look around the entryway, into the empty, giant space. It was…mesmerizing, really, and if Zed wasn't in so much pain, with a piece of wood protruding from his stomach, he'd have marveled at the sight longer. The room was empty, and after a second, she urged him forward.

"Come on," she whispered.

He bit his tongue, ignoring the intensifying ache spreading through him. He couldn't even feel his right arm, but it was twisted and bent in the worst way possible. She held him tightly, his left arm draped over her shoulders, their fingers tangled together. He held her hand tighter, every moment straining and paining him.

"It's okay, almost there," she muttered.

His head spun. He let her guide him through another doorway, going down a dark hall. Soft chatter surrounded him, all sorts of smells of food and heat flooding his nose, a sticky warmth penetrating his skin. It was insanely humid and moist in the den, an awful feeling when he was so out of it. They turned another corner into another large, circular room, purple decorated drapes hanging from floor to ceiling. In the middle was a white drape, decorated with silver and gold intricate designs.

Addison rushed him to the white drape, pulling it back and revealing a dimly lit smaller cave. There were a lot of caves in this one cave…

"This is my room," she told him as they entered. She let the drape fall behind them, and led him in the near dark space until she was pushing him down. His butt landed on a cushion and he huffed, falling back onto her bed.

"I'll be right back," she told him. "Don't move an inch."

He didn't answer, but the next thing he knew, Addison was kneeling beside him. Her fingers were cool and moist, sending shivers through his body. "It's okay, you're okay," she soothed. "Open your mouth." He did as he was asked, and she put a cloth inside. "Bite on this, okay?"

He nodded, biting down just before his first howl of pain.

* * *

Addison smiled at him, fingers threading through his hair. She sat on the floor beside him, her other hand rubbing his bare chest, tracing over the patch of bandages. "Hopefully our werewolf healing remedies work," she mumbled. "Can't have you dying on me."

Zed hummed in agreement. "Agreed," he whispered.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired," he muttered.

Her fingers pushed back his bangs and she gave him another soft smile. "I can get you something to drink. It'll give you lots of energy."

He shook his head. She raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head again. He propped himself up on his elbows, wincing at the pain in his right arm. Addison predicted he'd broken both his arm and a couple of ribs, not to mention he'd fallen and gotten stabbed by some wood in the hole. But she was a pretty good medic.

"Zed…"

"I want you to stay," he told her. "Mostly because I'm terrified of your pack finding me here." She gave a little laugh that made him smile. "But…I really enjoy having you around."

"Then I'll stay." They exchanged sweet smiles again. "But you should really let your arm rest."

He huffed. "I can handle a sore elbow. I played ten straight games, two full hours, both sides."

Addison's eyebrows went up with amusement. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" she teased.

Zed chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Yes! It means I'm an awesome football player."

Addison giggled. "I don't know what that is," she told him. "But I did see your trophies in the hall. Very impressive."

He scoffed, falling onto his back. "You're not impressed."

"Can't say I am."

He huffed, rolling his eyes. Addison just laughed, ruffling his hair. "Don't be all pouty," she said, "if you like it, then I like it."

"You don't have to…I wouldn't like you any less if you didn't."

She smiled, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Warmth spread across his face and he lets out a blissful sigh. Her fingers sift through his hair. It's nice, a simple, domestic action that made him feel at home.

He _really _liked being around her. It was the first time all week he wasn't worried about the election or stressing over Prawn. It was the first time in a long time he didn't feel out of place because humans were afraid of his very existence.

"I can't believe you fell into a werewolf trap," she said, a playful smile on her lips, "and _survived_."

"Should I…not have?"

She giggled, shaking her head. "Zed. You fell ten feet into a trap designed to immobilize or kill a wolf. And you walked away with a broken arm and a couple of busted ribs."

"I also got stabbed."

Addison beamed, a strange reaction to the discussion they were having. "Exactly! And you're fine now—"

"Mostly because of my beautiful medic."

"Ssh!" she hushed him. "Most of us are pretty good at avoiding traps, but last year Wallis fell into one that was only, like, seven feet, and he lost his legs!"

Zed couldn't help but stare at her in terrified amazement. Here she was, talking about something that was pretty terrible and honestly kind of tragic, with the brightest, most excited smile he'd seen. It was bigger than when Eliza would scheme, bigger than when Bonzo found out he'd made the cheer team, and it was nearly as big as Zoey's when he'd first told her about the werewolves in his school.

"You're a little scary, you know that?"

Addison scoffed. "I'm just saying how amazing it is you came out practically unhurt! Is it some sort of cool zombie thing?"

"I don't think it is," he said, smiling. "But…I probably—no, _definitely _would've been a lot worse if my Z-Band hadn't crapped out."

"Why?"

Zed shrugged. "Going rogue it like…stops everything. Like my heart isn't beating and my brain isn't really working—nothing is. So I wasn't like, bleeding out or really feeling anything except like…I dunno, it's hard to explain." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Being a zombie is weird, I guess."

"Wait, I thought your Z-Band was like…like my necklace. Like it made you more zombie."

"Z-Bands help us have more control over ourselves," Zed explained. "Otherwise we'd just be moaning groaning monsters, trying to eat everyone's brains."

Addison giggled a little. "That'd be no fun, right."

Zed nodded in agreement. Slowly, he sat up. "Eliza thinks that without the Z-Bands, we'd have evolved to this—" he gestured to himself— "naturally, but I dunno. Seems like a stretch, but I'm not a science guy, so." He shrugged.

Addison nodded as well. She moved from the floor to the bed, sitting next to him. Like, _right _next to him. Her leg was pressed against his, her arm looped through his—not the broken one, the one with his Z-Band. And even though they'd just spent the last hour or so with her mending his injuries, which required him to be shirtless, he still felt…awkward, a little embarrassed even. But Addison laced her fingers through his, completely unfazed, smiling even. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want something to eat?" she asked. "They're cooking up a feast, they won't miss a few plates here and there."

"No I'm okay," he assured her. "What's the feast for? Or do you guys just party every night?" He gave her a joking smile which made her giggle, shaking her head.

"It's the First Moon Feast," Addison explained. "The beginning of our lunar period, marked of course by a full moon."

"Okay…"

She gasped, an idea clear in her mind. "You should come!" Zed laughed, albeit bitterly, shaking his head. Addison's smile turned to a frown and she asked, "Why not?"

"Because your pack hates me."

"They don't…_hate_ you."

Zed just stared. Addison winced and nodded. "Okay, _maybe_ they hate you." She smiled up at him, practically bouncing. "But _I_ want you there, and I'm the Great Alpha, so you can come!"

Zed laughed, shaking his head. "I doubt Willa and Wyatt would be okay with that," he said.

"Then…" She trailed off, pouting slightly as she thought. He watched her with a raised eyebrow, waiting for whatever crazy plan she'd come up with to get him into the feast. Finally, she looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Then I'll sneak you in."

"You'll sneak me in?"

"Yeah! I'm not letting you miss out on the First Moon Feast," she told him. "I mean…" Her entire mood shifted and Zed frowned. Her shoulders slumped and she continued, "You probably won't get another chance like this. This-this might be the last one we ever have."

Her fingers fiddled in her lap. The air around them was tense and awkward, like she'd just shared a secret that he didn't understand. Well—she _did_, but he wasn't going to let her sit and dwell on it the entirety of their time together. He reached over with his left hand, placing his fingers on her wrist. Addison looked up at him, eyes big and soft, and he laced their fingers together, giving her a gentle smile.

"If you wanna talk about something, you can," he told her. "I'm always here to listen if something's bothering you."

She returned his smile. "I know," she whispered. "I just—this pack, we're a family. This is my family. We live together, we eat together, we protect one another. No matter what. But…our moonstones are almost out of charge, and without them—"

"You'll be nothing," he whispered. She looked at him, her mouth parted in an almost sad smile, eyes staring at him. "I-I mean, you'll die."

She nodded, then leaned, slowly, until her head fell on his shoulder. "If we don't find this moonstone soon, then we all die," she whispered. "And it'll be all my fault. I can't let them die because of me."

"Why? I-I don't understand why—"

"_Addison_!"

They both jumped apart, Addison leaping to her feet with a renewed sense of panic. She spun around and pushed Zed down, sending pain glaring through his shoulder. "Get down!" she whispered quickly. "Wyatt will kill me if he knows I snuck you in here."

Zed was sure that the more likely outcome would be Wyatt killing _him_, but knew it wasn't the time to argue about that. He let Addison push him down and frantically cover his body with a ton of blankets and cloth. She pulled the edge over his face just as heavy footsteps stopped outside the entrance, and Wyatt pulled back the sheet and said, "Oh good, you're here."

Addison turned around, giving him a nervous smile. "Of course I'm here. Where else would I be? It's like, nighttime. Almost. Wolf curfew and all that." she rambled, arms folded behind her back.

Wyatt smirked, raising an eyebrow at her almost unusual behavior. Everything she did was pretty unusual, honestly. He kind of just rolled with it most times.

"Yeah, it's almost time for the feast to start," he said. "Can't have a First Moon Feast without the Great Alpha."

Addison nodded along. "Of course, I'll be right out. I just need to…take care of something." Wyatt nodded, watching, waiting for her to move. "I meant alone."

"Oh, right." He nodded, then turned, heading back out. But he stopped before he could pull her drape aside and leave, turning back to her. "About earlier, Addison, at school—"

"It's fine," she told him. "I'm fine."

He tilted his head down and asked, "Are you sure?" She nodded, but he went on. "My sister didn't really mean what she said. I know she can be awful sometimes, and it's okay if she hurt you."

"I'm fine," Addison stressed. "It's nothing I haven't heard before, Wyatt."

"She shouldn't treat you like that, though."

"Again, it's fine."

He nodded, rocking on his heels. He looked like he had more to say by the twist of his mouth and the look in his eyes, and Addison's heart pounded the longer he stood there, Zed hidden bedside her. She wondered what Wyatt could possibly want to say, in private, away from the rest of the pack. He was usually so open, the calmest of them all, resolving before fighting, and she never had a problem with him in all the years she's been in this den. Willa on the other hand…

"Addison I wanted to say something to you real fast," he started, carefully, his eyes locking with hers. He didn't look uncomfortable with what he was about to say, relieved almost, like it's something he'd always wanted to say to her and just never got the chance to. "I know my sister can be harsh, and sometimes cut deep, but I just wanted you to know, all of this pack cares for you. Including me. I've always looked up to you, admired your braveness in things I couldn't even fathom and—"

Zed moved slightly from where he was hidden under the sheets and Addison slid over in front of him, chuckling nervously when Wyatt eyed her suspiciously. "Sorry, sorry," she said, smiling nervously. "Leg cramp."

His eyebrow rose, but he accepted her words, even if they're unsteady like they're a lie.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you're a part of this pack. We all are. We couldn't do this without you." His words were soft, and sincere, and something warm—and possibly happy—spread in her gut at the impact they had on her, that she actually smiled.

"Thanks Wyatt," she whispered, and again Zed moved, which she attempted to hide as she jumped to the side. "I'll see you at the feast?" she asked him, and he nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, see you out there." He smiled at her once more and then disappeared through the doorway, finally leaving her and Zed alone.

She took a breath, then turned around, saying to the zombie hidden in her room, "He's gone now."

Zed sat up and frowned—it was actually more of an upset pout. It was kind of adorable.

"What was that about?" Zed asked.

"Wyatt, being Wyatt." She shrugged, walking over to her chest in the corner.

"That's…he always talks to you like that?"

"Yes?" She glanced back at him, her brows furrowing even more at his perplexed and surprised look. What was going on in that head of his?

"So what you're saying is…he's always flirting with you."

Addison whipped around with a frown. He was…jealous. Of Wyatt. _Wyatt_, of all people. He was pouting and it would have been cute, if the whole thing wasn't insanely bizarre. Wyatt rarely talked to her, but when he did, he was just as nice with everyone as he was with her.

…Okay maybe he was a little nicer, but that was because she was the Great Alpha.

"Wyatt isn't flirting with me," she stated.

Zed nodded. "He definitely is," he said. "I may not understand a lot about wolves, but I do know guys."

She raised an eyebrow at that. It was hard to even take him seriously at this point. Besides him being jealous of _Wyatt_ (of all people!), his reasoning was just as ridiculous.

"The over apologizing, the 'friendly' tone, his stupid smile." Zed nearly growled the last part and Addison covered her mouth, trying and failing to hide a laugh. It was official, jealousy was _adorable _on him. Zed noticed her failed attempt at hiding her smile and pouted, though his cheeks hinted at the slightest amusement. "You think I'm crazy don't you."

"Just a little." She giggled and crossed the room, bending over and patting his head. "It's cute though."

"I still think he likes you."

She smiled, looking him in his eye to the point where his eyes widened in some surprise. "Well that's too bad for him, because _I _like _you_."

"Do you now? I had no idea."

She moved into a squat, crossing her arms on his knees. "Yeah, it's one of my big secrets," she said casually. Zed chuckled quietly. Addison couldn't help herself. She didn't want the banter or flirting to end, not wanting to have to get ready for the feast that was quickly approaching. The quicker the night went on the sooner she'd have to say goodnight to Zed, something she didn't want to do. Not yet.

A random thought came to mind, leading her to ask, "You wanna know my other big secret?"

"Of course."

She glanced around dramatically, pretending to see if anyone was listening purely for his amusement, then stage whispered, "I'm a werewolf." Then she snarled, her moonstone warming on her chest, eyes glowing yellow and fangs bared. Zed jumped back in surprise, but his smile remained, and after a beat he even laughed.

"Who knows," she added, "might just gut you. Splatter your blood. The works."

"I'm one Z-Band malfunction away from eating your brains," he joked.

"Oh you haven't heard? I don't have any."

Zed barked out a laugh, making Addison laugh just as hard, falling back onto her butt while he fell back against the bed. "You're ridiculous," he wheezed.

Addison laughed too. But too soon, her moonstone got hot, _too hot_, and her throat went dry, the power draining from her body again. She wanted to hide it from Zed but was coughing and spluttering before she knew it, rolling onto her side, away from him.

It was worse than it usually was. Her lungs burned, eyes watered, her nerves an icy type of numb that made her ache all over. She couldn't stop it no matter how much she prayed for it to pass, for it to be over and for her moonstone to _stop killing her_.

The coughing didn't let up—it got _worse_, if that was even possible, a heavy, crushing fire that dragged her lungs to the ground. This was it, this was what the elected felt while they laid in the death beds, fighting off a sickness with no cure. Deep in the distance, she heard her name, panic in the voice that carried it but no recognition because the only thing her brain could process was that she was _dying_ she wouldn't survive this, not this one, and the pack would die with her because she failed, she failed them all, there was no moonstone and they were all dead.

Then her body lurked backwards, bones pressing into her side and something cold hitting her chest. Whatever it was did the trick, cooling relief starting in her middle and spreading through her lungs until she could catch a _goddamn_ breath. Her moonstone went cold and idle.

Zed held her tight, arms wrapped around her from behind. "It's okay, it's okay, deep breaths Addy," Zed whispered. "Just take deep breaths."

She closed her eyes, falling back into his chest and sucking in ragged breaths of air. She wasn't sure how many more close calls she could survive, how many more chances she'd get at life. She had to find the moonstone though. Not soon. _Now_.

Zed loosened his hold on her, whispering words of encouragement in her ear while she breathed hard. Unbeknownst to them, his Z-Band hummed away on his wrist, pressed into her chest and working doubly hard to suppress the rogue urges.


End file.
